In the Closet
by lwdgrl782
Summary: A midquel explaining what happens when Wilbur shuts the light out after the "pop quiz.' WARNING: Timecest
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Before I get the story started, I'd like to say a few things: 1.) I do not own **_**Meet the Robinsons**_**. 2.) This story contains timecest (cest slash, time slash, whatever you want to call it.) Therefore, weird stuff will be happening between Wilbur and Lewis. If you are against the pairing, please don't flame with a meaningless post like, "Ewwwwww." If you have a well thought out flame that isn't just being written to say you are disgusted, but has thought put into it, write it, but explain your flame, please. However, don't say I'm disgusting, because I won't take that lightly. Flame the pairing and explain your flame, don't flame me. Timecest fans, enjoy. And I do have a multi-chapter story in development at the moment, so you'll see me around.**

In the Closet

Wilbur Robinson had thought for most of his life that he was straight. He had liked girls, chased them, but never kissed one. He wanted to, but with the amount of money Cornelius made from his inventions, his parents thought private school fitting, and the girls in private school had way too many morals. Therefore, he had never kissed a girl, so he couldn't say if he liked it, but what straight male didn't? He had had a girlfriend earlier in the year, but she was just as cocky as he was, and two stuck up people can't be in the same room without arguing. He had never advanced further than holding her hand. That being said, his experience with the opposite sex hadn't gone well, but he had never considered himself _gay_.

He didn't consider being gay a bad thing, but attractive males are supposed to be woman chasers, and it was considered normal for a man to be straight. He was cool, confident, he didn't want to be considered strange. Then again, the thought never dawned on him that he was anything but straight…until Lewis. He knew it was wrong the moment he met him, but from that first encounter he felt something for him. It was almost like a magnet, a force of gravity, and yet, from the moment he saw him he knew Lewis was his father. He knew it would all be doomed before it started.

He didn't accept it right away. He tried to brush it off, and it worked for a bit, but Lewis was so blind to his own sex appeal and it drove Wilbur nuts. Wilbur wasn't attracted to his father, but Lewis made him see something he had never noticed before, a certain fire. He could let so many people go in life, but when someone makes you want your own father, you can't let them just live with it. You have to make them know. He watched him walk around for two hours unaware of his own grace. It was almost sickening that someone so beautiful could think of themselves as so worthless. Therefore, it was not just for the benefit of the time stream that Lewis's confidence be renewed, but for the benefit of Wilbur's sanity, if he had any left.

In the first twenty minutes Lewis was at the Robinson household, Wilbur had the nagging desire to show Lewis his room and see what would happen. He wanted to see if Lewis would get the hint. It was a solid plan, until he remembered that the boy in the garage was his father and anything he did with him Cornelius would have sudden memories of. He couldn't risk the awkward looks he would share with his father every night after that, and in that moment he wished he had thought before resting his eyes on Lewis. He didn't think; that was the problem. If he had, he wouldn't be in this situation, and he wouldn't be fighting back feelings for his _father._ That was just something he would have to live with now; feelings that would never be fulfilled or returned, and once he got the blueprints from Carl, he would never see Lewis again, but would have to live with Cornelius. Without knowing, a tear rolled down his cheek and fell on the back of the blueprints he had been given just seconds ago, but he had turned around and Carl did not see. How could you get over someone you would have to see every day for the next thirty or so years, unless he chose not to live on the Robinson Estate as an adult.

He went down the travel tubes in pure anguish, battling his conscience every inch of the way. He knew what was moral and good, but he also knew what he wanted. It was such a hard choice to make, although he knew what the right thing to do was. If he didn't go after Lewis though, he might end up regretting it for the rest of his life, and at thirteen that meant a long time to regret something. He could always use a memory eraser on Lewis, but that was kept upstairs and he didn't have the key to the room which housed all of Cornelius's inventions. Maybe if he got Lewis to do something, he would not be blamed because it wasn't his idea. Yes, that would work in his favor.

Wilbur reached the garage and triumphantly announced his return, but Lewis was gone. If discovered by the rest of the family, Lewis would be crowded by them, monitored while he fixed the time machine, and Wilbur wouldn't get a second alone with him. He couldn't let that happen, and thinking of just himself for a second, he realized that Lewis being discovered would mean he would be grounded for an awfully long time. He went up the travel tube again, not caring what room he landed in. He wanted to imagine that Lewis was in some isolated corner of the house, but such a place was rare and he was most likely with someone.

He imagined everything ending in the worse way possible. Lewis would be discovered, the family would help fix the time machine, Lewis would be taken home, and he would have to live in misery. The thought clawed at him viciously. It wasn't pleasant to think about at all, even though restraining from doing anything with Lewis meant he was still a relatively good person. It would mean he still had basic morals. In frenzy, he ran down the main hallway, hoping to bump into Lewis, and he did just that.

He was ready to scowl him for going outside of the garage, but when Lewis blurted out that he had met the family, he grabbed his arm and dragged him into a nearby closet. Turning the light on, he demanded a "pop quiz." He listened attentively as Lewis accounted the family members rather well, offering occasional insight. He watched his body language the whole time, which just kept getting more inviting, and Lewis didn't even know it. He was beginning to think he would never know. Ready to forfeit, he asked him "and nobody realized you were from the past?"

Lewis said no and he breathed a sigh of relief, which he did not expect because he felt so much pressure to do something. He felt his chance slipping away, and then, before he lost it, he grabbed the chain connected to the light bulb and grinned as he shut the light out. It was now or never, and he would rather take the chance than live his life knowing he didn't take the opportunity.

It was dark with the light out, and Lewis was considerably far away, but he could hear his breathing in the silence. It was a perfect silence, but it ended just as soon as it started. "Wilbur", Lewis said, almost in a whisper. "Turn the light on, I can't see a thing, and we have to get back to the time machine."

"Oh?" Wilbur said, raising an eyebrow in the dark. I thought you said you couldn't fix it." He licked his lips as he thought of how he would lure him in the trap he had thought up.

"Well", Lewis said hesitantly. "I want to see my mom, and we had a deal, so if you could turn the light on, I could see my way out." There was impatience in his voice, an annoyance that Wilbur recognized in Cornelius.

"Calm _down_", Wilbur added. "We'll get out, eventually", and a smug grin spread across his face as he moved a bit closer.

"_Wilbur_, I'd like to go. You're so obnoxiously stubborn."

"And you're a killjoy who needs to lighten up." Wilbur said this last sentence and ran through his plan one last time. The trap was almost set.

"I do?" Lewis said, genuinely surprised. "And how do I do that?" Wilbur moved ever more close and Lewis felt him breathing down his neck.

"_Well"_, Wilbur started, "you can start by kissing me." There was silence for a second as Lewis took this in. Wilbur held his breath and moved a step back. He felt defeat creep across him. Then, Lewis spoke.

"K-k-k-kiss you? Wilbur, how?" Wilbur was waiting for just that. He went closer, so their lips were inches away and he could taste Lewis's warm, sweet breath.

"Like this", he said smugly, and he leaned it. He found Lewis's lips in the dark and pressed his own firmly against his. He wasn't sure if he was being kissed back, but he pulled away after a few seconds to give Lewis time to take it in. He would've loved to see his facial expression, because it would've helped him decipher Lewis's reaction and feelings, but he couldn't see, and he didn't want to turn the light on.

"Wilbur, what…? Why?" Lewis was clearly baffled and in shock, and Wilbur exhaled loudly before answering his incomplete question.

"Because, because I like you, Lewis, and I wanted to get that out. You're just so amazing, and you live in the past, and since the moment I saw you I wanted to do that. I can't fix that time machine and see you go back and know I didn't go after you. We can't have this, but…but for the next few minutes we could take advantage of the dark, before we have to forget." He finished his confession and waited to hear the other boy speak. It took a while, but Lewis answered enthusiastically.

"Wilbur, if I only have a few minutes, I want to, want to", and he forced his lips upon Wilbur's with a needy force. It was a feverish kiss, and it pushed Wilbur back and pushed him against clothes and their hangers, knocking some down, and eventually making Wilbur fall backward. Falling to the ground with a small thud and an "umph", Wilbur welcomed Lewis's new greed.

He wrapped his arms around Lewis's upper chest, and his legs spread apart and his left knee bent in tension. He opened his mouth instinctively and teased Lewis a little by playfully moving his tongue about his lips, asking for entrance. Lewis granted a small opening, but Wilbur placed his tongue in almost savagely and Lewis moaned as his mouth was forced open wider. Both of them were inexperienced, but Wilbur fought for dominance and pushed Lewis's tongue back. After all, he was older. He felt Lewis's hands travel down his body, and for a second he remembered that this was his father.

So many thoughts raced through his head, and he knew that what they were doing was wrong, but he liked it, and couldn't bring himself to stop, He took Lewis's shirt off for him and then let his strength push himself on top of him. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. He felt warmth against Lewis's bare chest, and the warmth drew him to want to speak. He made his lips part from Lewis's and tried to find his eyes in the dark.

"Lewis", he murmured in exhaustion.

"Mmhm?" Lewis mumbled in a soft reply. Wilbur put his head on Lewis's shoulder and let a tear roll down.

"I don't want to have to forget you." Lewis sat up and let Wilbur cry for a minute or two. Then he tried his hand at comforting.

"Wilbur, look at me", he said soothingly. He gently grabbed him and tried to imagine looking into his eyes. Before he could continue, Wilbur reached for the light, and the room was bright. He looked into his crying eyes and felt emotions flood into him. There was so much he just couldn't say. "Wilbur, if I had my way, I would live in this time period, but, it's not my fault I was born forty years too early. He took Wilbur's hand and let their fingers intertwine. "But…I won't forget you, ever. And I feel like you're the best thing that has ever happened to me." And he saw the tears flood Wilbur's eyes and come streaming down again. His head fell back on Lewis's shoulder and he shook a little with tears. If only he knew there was so much more to it than just the wrong time period. Lewis hushed him gently and sat there for a moment, until he heard footsteps outside. At that, they both got up. Lewis put his shirt on and turned the doorknob halfway.  
"Lewis", Wilbur said softly. Lewis turned around and faced him.

"Yeah?" And Wilbur leaned in and kissed him passionately one more time, a sweet kiss that showed love and comfort, and when he pulled away he wasn't sad, but fulfilled and happy.  
"Let's go fix the time machine.

**A/N: OKAY, SO. I hope you liked it. If you didn't, I have to say I didn't watch the movie the first time and think, "incest!" I was converted into a timecest shipper. I'm not sick, I don't support this in real life. Okay, so, review. :D**


	2. The Confrontation

**A/N: Hi, timecest shippers! I've come back! I did not initially intend to continue this story, but due to the positive feedback I have decided to, and honestly I have no idea what I just wrote. This time, we'll learn Cornelius's reaction to the closet incident. I will warn you, there will be a lot of Cornelius/Wilbur angst and/or sexual tension so if that crosses a line stop now. Nothing **_**really **_**happens, but at the same time I can't say nothing at **_**all **_**happens, you know? Also, update on my multi-chapter fic: I haven't forgotten about it. I gave up Meet the Robinsons for Lent and a whole bunch of story ideas have since bloomed, and I had to pick which one I was going to move forward with. (Haha, go forward) I've gone with a much lighter story than what was originally planned. The story I had originally planned to write was extremely dark for this fandom, and it would be a complete 180 from the norm. By dark I mean Wilbur-gets-depressed-after-Lewis-leaves-so-he-tak es-drugs-and-ends-up-with-a-life-threatening-illne ss-so-Lewis-is-asked-to-help-find-a-cure-which-mak es-Wilbur-worse-because-he-is-constantly-reminded- of-how-he-loves-him. Yeah. **_**That **_**kind of dark. If you guys are interested I'd be glad to write it, I'm just not sure how many people would accept it. Anyway, here you go!**

The Confrontation

When he had first built the time machine, Cornelius delved into the mechanics of time. It was a relevant branch to study, being his invention concerned time, but little was known about the way time actually worked. It was an area of science unexplored by most, and his colleagues saw it as a dead end. If Cornelius wanted to know about time, he would have to do the research himself. This wasn't really an inconvenience, because research was his life, but he didn't know how to go about doing the research. He would have to learn that the only way to learn about time was to experiment with the time machine.

After it was built, Cornelius conducted several experiments. These experiments usually involved the effects using the machine had on the other time periods. These experiments were limited, as nothing could really be changed for fear it would alter things too much, but he did what he could. Most times, he got away with it with no consequences, and others he later had to do right by. Messing with time was a dangerous thing to do, and caution had to be taken with each project. Just programming the machine and learning about it took close to a year.

It was a productive year, and Cornelius regretted nothing about it, yet at the end of it he still did not know one thing: How altering time changed memory. Technically, it couldn't just be defined as one thing. It was one thing with several branches. He didn't know how a person would react if their past was changed, how their emotions would be, and very plainly, how they would handle it. He knew he could not experiment with his younger self, but he still had to find a way to test it, and he eventually experimented with animals. These were safe things to test on, as changing their lives would most likely not change important events in time.

When testing on squirrels, Cornelius divided the memories into two categories: relevant and irrelevant. Using a programmed machine, he was able to have the present squirrel's reaction monitored while he changed the past. He found that, when one single peanut a squirrel owned was taken away, the squirrel in his time reacted subtly. In fact, at times the squirrel wouldn't remember it for days. When he did remember it, the memory was faint. However, when a whole winter storage went missing, the squirrel in the present reacted violently. Cornelius concluded that the more traumatic or important the event, the more violent the reaction. Thus Cornelius concluded his study on memory and time. He wouldn't pick it up again for another four years…

Cornelius sat in what was known by his colleagues as the "invention room". It was here that inventors consulted with one another about what would be the best benefit to society. He had been here multiple times, but he just felt out of it at the moment and didn't want to be there. He felt like a part of him was gone. He felt distracted and distant, and this could only be bad for the conference. A distraction was the last thing you wanted when you were with the world's best scientists and inventors.

He sometimes wondered why he bothered to come to these meetings. He ran his own _company _for crying out loud! Did he really need the approval of those twice his age? Age would usually be a good thing, but in science it wasn't. The older you got, the more you resisted change, and the more you resisted change, the fewer new things you accepted to be true. These men were wise, but it was questionable whether or not what they said today would be any good. The usual crowd of people he worked around was around sixty, but around eighty and he knew he wasn't getting anything done. It was just so upsetting…

The older scientists entered the room. Yes, they were about double his age, and it showed. He wondered how the board could even allow them to work in such a field at their age. It was age discrimination, yes, but new theories and inventions would never be accepted when the people who were supposed to approve the inventions never approved anything. Cornelius wondered how long the meeting would take. He hated the fact that even though he ran his own company, he had to have inventions approved to make sure they were "beneficial" to the human race.

Things like this defeated the purpose of Robinson Industries. The industry had been put in place to prevent these exact situations. After his first six or seven inventions, Cornelius had grown tired of having to drag each new machine to the old building. This was especially tiresome if the invention was large, and so he built his own company. However, he still had to have a group vote on the pros and cons of such an invention so his opinion wasn't biased, and the only way he got out of going was if the machine was too large to transport. With his newest invention, a special liquid that had the potential to bring dead animals back to life when placed on bones, this was not the case, and he was obliged to take it to the elder inventors. If only they weren't so focused on tradition…

"…will now show us his newest invention. From my understanding, it's capable of bringing animals back to life when placed on their bones. We will now have this presented, so we could vote on whether it would be worthy for society to have."

_Here it goes_, he thought, and for the first time in years he was nervous that his invention would be rejected. He stood up and walked to the corner of the room. There he had placed the small bottle that held the new material, and next to it was a laptop on which the presentation had been loaded. He looked out and…

_Well, you can start by kissing me._

Flash.

What had just happened? Here he was, about to make one of the biggest propositions of his career, and he was thinking of insanity. If he could convince these people, get them to believe him, get this patented, he could become one of the most famous inventors of all time, if he wasn't already, and this insanity could ruin that.

_K-k-k-kiss you? Wilbur, how?_

_**Wilbur.**_

_**What?**_

What had his son just done and w…

"You may begin", one of the members stated, clearly getting impatient. He had every right to be, as much as Cornelius hated to admit it. Here he was, a world famous inventor, and he was having images of…no, he wouldn't admit it. He couldn't admit it, because it was sick and disgusting and wrong in so many ways. He had to block everything out, and turning to the computer, planned to do just that.

"I apologize, gentlemen, I don't know what possessed me to be so…"

_Like this._

"…rude. But it won't happen again and I can assure you this will be worth the wait." He pulled up the first slide of his presentation. He felt that, being how extraordinary this potion, if that were the right word, was, he had to keep his presentation simple. No one really made powerpoints anymore. They had their height when he was young…young. _What _were these visions? Whatever it was, it would have to wait. "I like to call this the 'pulse potion', if you will. It's not formal, but it's easy to remember and any marketing can take care of a better name. One single drop of this on the bones of a diseased animal an…"

_Pressure._

_Pressure of lips._

_Warm lips._

Flash.

"…and that animal will regain life. In a split second, all bones will join together again, along with fur, skin, whatever is appropriate for the animal to have, and everything will be as it was.

"Have you tried this on people, also? Would it work on them?"

He was expecting this question. It was inevitable and unavoidable.

"Well…"

_Because, because I like you, Lewis._

"…It only works on the genetic inf-"

_A push to the ground._

_Violent lips pressing against his._

_And._

_Wilbur._

Twenty dozen flashes went before his eyes in that one moment. Oh, Wilbur was _so_ dead, but there was just something about this moment. The violent memories pushed him back and he stumbled against the wall and completely forgot where he was.

"Cornelius? Is everything alright? You're not grounded at all." This guy was really getting on his nerves.

"Y-yes, everything's fine. If we could just…move to the next slide, we could move, uh, forward." Yes, his catchphrase came in, even now. He stumbled back to the laptop. If he could just hold out for ten minutes, he could then head home early and have them e-mail him the decision. But what in the world…

Flash.

_Hands._

How could he work feeling this uncomfortable? If he delayed this conference one more time he would be sent home without accomplishing anything. He didn't need that to ruin his reputation as an inventor. Then came the dozen flashes. Like lightening they didn't leave. And somewhere in there he felt every muscle in his body contract at a warm touch…

"Cornelius! If you don't conc-''

"I know what I'm doing!" He came out of it and snapped. _Great_. He would never get the invention patented now. He could see all of the other men grow stern and stiff, and they had clearly had enough.

"I don't think we will be needing any more of the presentation", that same scientist stated, voice cold and stiff. _Doesn't anyone else have a tongue in this place?_

_Oh._

_Tongue._

No. He wasn't allowing this to happen. He picked up the bottle and his laptop and tried to seem in tact. _This isn't happening. There's no way my younger self is…is…being…physical…with my son._

Flash.

And he felt pressure like someone was on top of him. Control yourself, he thought, and he felt like he just couldn't take it anymore.

"I apologize, gentlemen, but it seems I don't feel well and I must be getting home. If we could reschedule that would be great and I will call the office…"

"Don't bother", answered the supreme head of the elder inventors. "We don't have time for nonsense. Clearly, this just wasted our time."

_Right_, Cornelius thought. _You have things to do. I have to go scold my son for French kissing my younger self. Who has the bigger problem?_

"And I do apologize, I just…I have to go", and he left the room and for some odd reason closed the door behind him. By this time he just felt he had no sense. All things of meaning were gone. Everything that had mattered an hour ago didn't matter anymore.

Flash.

_Those hands again. Wilbur's hands. He could almost feel them tracing up and down his body, and he felt himself tracing the same path and it sickening him that he started touching himself to this, but did it make him a pervert if this was actually being done to him and it wasn't his choice? Wasn't it Wilbur's fault? He'd love to blame him but gosh, he was so good with his hands._

.

.

.

This was _sick. _This was _wrong. _The visions were gone and yet he still found himself thinking about it. He was minutes away from home, and the visions were far less frequent. They were duller and they weren't as bright. They were dark and shady, vague. After leaving the office, things began to quiet down. He drove home in peace, and slept peacefully during the night, and now, almost home, he started to evaluate just how wrong the whole thing was, not just the thing with Wilbur.

He knew the time machine was missing, because Wilbur had told his younger self that it had been stolen, and he knew that his younger self had almost been adopted by his future family. He knew he couldn't just walk into the house knowing everything that had happened. If he did, then Wilbur would know that he knew about the closet incident, and that wouldn't be good. It would freak him out and he wouldn't get any answers. He would have to get him alone later on…

He sat in the house. Wilbur had just left to drop off Lewis at the orphanage. He hadn't even said anything to him when he got there. He was too guilty to look at his son in a fatherly way, or any way even remotely appropriate, and he lay on his bed and tried to get all those images out of his head.

Flash.

_Look, Lewis, about what happened earlier, I'm really s…_

_No, don't be._

_I should be. Just forget it, okay?_

_Forget it? But I…_

And he knew the next part was not spoken.

_But, I love you, Wilbur._

_I love you, Wilbur._

_**Love.**_

That just took a turn for the worse, and as an adult he wanted to tell himself that those feelings went away, but sitting where he was he couldn't lie to himself.

.

.

.

Wilbur walked through the door of the house and found it oddly quiet. Or was that just because Lewis was gone? Yes, it must have been because Lewis was gone. The house was never legitimately quiet because one hundred people were always in it. Yet he looked around and couldn't find anyone…

"They all went out", Cornelius said. Wilbur had gone up the stairs and been wandering through the hallways, and Cornelius had snuck up behind him. The sudden voice in the quiet house had made Wilbur jump, and it almost satisfied Cornelius because he had been startled all day by…things.

"Where?" Wilbur asked. "They didn't tell me and I wasn't gone that long and-"

"Went to make sure time machine number two isn't damaged. I looked it over, but I told them to go get a second opinion so they went to the compa-"

Oh.

Crap.

_They went to the company. Those idiots at the conference had probably already called everyone he worked with about what happened yesterday._

"Yeah. The company."

Wilbur was confused by the way the answer was delivered, how Cornelius interrupted himself and then started again. Did he know about the closet? His father wasn't bringing it up and he had to find out.

"So, how was your trip?" Well, that was a pathetic start, but he had to start somewhere. He couldn't just outright say, _hey I kissed your younger self, what did you think?_

"Fine", Cornelius answered stiffly. Was Wilbur trying to get stuff out of him? Did he want to know if he remembered anything? "It was fine. It went…well."

"I know you're lying", Wilbur answered. "It didn't go well. Something happened and that's why you're home earlier than you said you would be."

"_Nothing _went wrong."

"Yes it did," and he paused. "Hey, Dad, what did you think about, yesterday?" He watched as Cornelius took a step back. It was such a blunt question. What did he _think_? H thought before answering.

"It wasn't a smart thing to do, Wilbur. Lewis is going to grow up to be your _father_."

"I know it wasn't smart. That was in my mind the whole time and I know it wasn't a good thing to do. But I…I re-"

"You really loved him", and the words fell from his mouth before he could stop them from coming out. "Lewis felt the same way. I don't commend what you did, but I don't hate you for acting on mutual feelings."

"Do _you_?"

"Do I what?

"Do _you _love me?"

"You know I do." Where was Wilbur going with this?

"No, not like that. Do you love me, like Lewis does?"

He would have to be very careful responding. "Wilbur, I was greatly…affected…by what happened between you two in that closet. I can't believe I'm saying this but I can't say I hated it. However, you're my son and I-"

"Why do you insist on having morals? You already saw everything that happened with us. I said I loved Lewis, I loved _you_, and you don't seem to care!"

"I do care!" And he prepared to make the stupidest decision of his life. "Wilbur, I'm only going to do this once. One time and one time only, and then we both have to stop, but, I'm not going to pretend to be innocent anymore." He went closer to him, so they were tightly together, and he leaned down and gently, oh so gently, placed his lips upon the one fate had decided to torture him with, and through here he found better happiness than any vision, and he almost hated himself for it.

"We can't do that ever again, you understand?" He said, pulling away, and he wanted to die because he could feel he was blushing.

"I understand. Sorry about that, Dad." Wilbur walked away and went into his room. The euphoria of the moment was still there. It hadn't helped anything. Knowing Lewis grew up so powerful to the point he wasn't shy, to the point where he could take charge, it was just really _sexy_.

_Never again, huh? We'll see about that._

**A/N: Again, Da Fuq did I just write? xP Okay, well, uh, review? I probably will write another chapter just because of how I ended that. No flames! I honestly don't know how I would make the next part interesting, so if you have suggestions PM me.**


	3. The Visit

**A/N: Okay, so I was anxious to get this up. From the way this is turning out, I will have a few more chapters in this. (So much for it being a one-shot.) Not that writing more's a bad thing, I'm actually very excited about this chapter. Warning: TISSUES. GET A BOX. I'm listening to September by Daughtry and thinking the plot over in my head and I feel like crying and I haven't even written anything yet, so get a big box of tissues for this. This chapter will be less descriptive and have more dialogue. It could also be shorter but I guarantee length won't compromise with quality. Got you tissues? Good. Read.**

The Visit

Cornelius contemplated what had just happened. He had kissed his son and felt no regret or sorrow. He was elated and giddy, and he thought that if he had to do it again, he would, with no hesitation. It was a sick, dark, twisted thing he had just done. He thought it would make him feel better, to get it off his chest, but it did nothing. He had just been turned into a sick hebephile. Or was he…no, Wilbur was thirteen, the right term was hebephile. He couldn't be anything else, because he had a reputation and a successful marriage and before today he had no symptoms of such feelings. Well…not recently anyway. Not since 30 years ago, when they were the same age. He would have to pay a visit to a certain adult someone…someone he hadn't talked to in a good 27 or so years…

.

.

.

He knew that Wilbur, older Wilbur, would be home. When the same thing had happened to them thirty years ago, he remembered thirteen-year-old Wilbur going to the orphanage because his father was not in the house, and a week later, when he had asked about it, Wilbur had said his father had been out for hours. Yes, he would have to be home, and no one would be there with him, because if others were there he would've gone home right away. All this time travel was messing with his head, but then again, a lot of things had recently screwed him over, and he couldn't help but chuckle because he meant it almost literally.

He went to the front door. If the house were even remotely organized, every other door would be locked, but the front door was always open because of the amount of people coming and going. It really wasn't smart, being the amount of valuables they possessed, but the Robinsons loved everyone, and they never thought anyone could do wrong. At least, nothing could go wrong that people could notice. Internally, though, you could have your heart pulled apart by your son, because in this house anything was possible.

He opened the door. It was unusually quiet, and it mirrored the scene he had just left thirty years in the past. Or was it the past of the future? Was that too much of an oxymoron…? He walked up the stairs. He wasn't scared, because this was his house even if it wasn't the right time period. Then, in the second floor hallway, he saw who he was looking for, and when he turned around at the sound of footsteps his heart nearly stopped beating…

"What are you doing here?" Wilbur asked. Cornelius wasn't even there for a full five minutes, and he was already getting yelled at, but before taking that in he took in how _well _age had treated his old best friend…his boyfriend. He was forty-three, a year older than Cornelius, but he could pass for thirty easily.

"You don't know what happened today?" Was that a good way to start this?

"Oh_, that_," Wilbur huffed. "What about it?"

Sting number one. Cornelius should've expected this, but it hurt like a bullet to the heart.

"Regardless of what today is, you're still in my house, and you haven't been welcome her in…is it twenty-seven years now? Go home." Wilbur was obviously aware of what had just happened, and these words proved it.

"Look, my point is, we're not crazy! All these years I thought that it…we…were a mistake. Our feelings were never wrong!"

"And you want me to be happy about this? You want me to be _happy _that my younger self is making the same mistake I made with you? I'm not happy. I blocked every single vision out, in case you were wondering. My relationship with you _was_ a mistake."

Sting two. And more was coming. Could he just pull out a gun and shoot him if this was how it was going to be?

"But if this is all meant to happen in an endless loop then the whole reason we ended it was wrong. We…"

"You idiot! You still don't get it, do you? We didn't end it because of the whole incest thing. I ended it because we were together for THREE YEARS AND YOU TREATED ME LIKE COMPLETE SHIT. You treated us like a joke. That whole time you could've invented something to erase my genetic code, give me a new one so we could be together, you had the power! For Christ's sakes, the day we happened you were inventing some Dr. Frankenstein potion!"

"I didn't want to corrupt the time stream."

"Oh, I forgot", Wilbur retorted. "That time stream meant more to you than I ever did. You know what? I can't wait until younger me breaks it off and then goes by your window in the middle of the night and sees you crying for him. If it's the same he won't feel a thing."

"You…you _what_?" For twenty-seven years he had not known this, but he remembered everything else about that night so painfully well.

"I broke you like you broke me. Do you remember it? You broke my heart on my sixteenth birthday, _Lewis_. I convinced my parents to take you on vacation with us that summer, and I told you and do you remember what you said? You said you couldn't because of the time stream. THE TIME STREAM!"

"Wilbur, I still…"

"**Don't you dare say you still love me! You never loved me. I loved you once, Lewis. I loved you so much, but our relationship did nothing for either of us. I hate my dad for letting this happen and you're some sick pedophile."**

"I am not!" Cornelius wouldn't take this from him.

"Yes, you are! Tell me you think of younger me as a son. Go on, say it. You don't. You may not have realized it, but you've always wanted him, and now you know it. And you didn't come here because you loved me. You came here because you want me. I won't be used for my body. You came here because you can't get it from him but you thought you could from me." He paused, and when he spoke again his voice cracked several times. "You know what hurt me the most, Lewis? I wanted you to chase after me. I wanted you to tell me you didn't care about the time stream, that I was all that mattered, and you didn't. I've thought of this day so much, when you would come back for me, and now that it's here I don't want it. **I don't want you anymore."**

"I WANTED TO CHASE AFTER YOU, but we can't play with fate like that."

"Don't tell me you wanted to chase after me. Don't talk to me and don't come back to my house. Ever."

_**But, I love you, Wilbur.**_

.

.

.

Cornelius walked out of the house and roamed around in the time machine for hours, visiting memories of all their days together, but he was too scared to go to that birthday party, even though it could've meant them being together. He just didn't want to see that day. And when he got home and it was late, his son watched him go to his room, and he knew why Wilbur was up, he knew where he had been, and he locked himself in the bathroom and cried for the one he had lost…

**A/N: OH MY GOSH I CAN'T. I'm done. Okay, bye. Another chapter will be up sometime around next weekend.**


	4. All Too Well

**A/N: I have returned, and I feel accomplished because I finally know where I'm going with this story. I know exactly how many chapters I have left and how it will all unfold and work out. You can expect something like **_**The Color Purple. **_**If you've read that novel, you know that throughout it we see things through relationships and that's how it moves along. We follow the relationships throughout. That's a bit how this will be. Also, I hate to self promote, but if you ship timecest I run a little ask blog for Wilbur and Lewis on tumblr (you know one of those in-character things, along with my amazing mod) and the link is: .com in case anyone wants to check it out.** **As usual, I have a song on loop during my writing, and this time it's All Too Well by Taylor Swift. I may throw in a few lyrics here and there. Maybe sort of tissue warning? Idk. As usual, timecest warning is on. Also, when Cornelius is talking to Wilbur here, there's **_**strong **_**hinting. You'll know what I'm talking about when you get to it, and you'll get what I mean and yes, whatever you start thinking is correct.**

All Too Well

Cornelius turned around, desperately trying to hide the fact that he was crying. It was ridiculous to think that his son had made him cry, and here he was a grown man, and that had just happened. Well, this Wilbur was never his son. He never saw him as one and never would. This Wilbur had once been the light of his life. One time, some twenty-something years ago, this Wilbur had been the reason he got up in the morning. This Wilbur had been the one he loved more than anything, and yet, he had unintentionally hurt him when he was just trying to do the right thing, and now it was too late to get him back.

It could be stated that _no _Wilbur had ever been his son. Yes, he had raised his love's younger counterpart, but it seemed almost like a burden. He loved him in a way, but the pain was always there. The pain always remained, and it didn't leave. This pain was inescapable, and put simply, it was the pain that _this _Wilbur would never and _could_ never be his. Even if Wilbur grew older and returned his sick, twisted feelings, he could never have him. The one he had left, the one he loved more than his life, the one he would take a bullet for, had never truly left. No, he lived with him. He lived with him every day, and he was just in reach, but still so far away. Indeed, he would never have the chance to really truly be with him again, and for the rest of his life he would have to live with it. He would have to live with the fact that the one he so loved had gotten away, and he couldn't do a thing about it.

Just what _did _this Wilbur, the one he had spent countless nights with, think in his mind as he watched the man who was so many things to him walk out that door? As much as Wilbur hated to admit, Lewis, Cornelius was such a big part of him. He was his father, yes, but he was also his first kiss, his first real relationship, his first love, and yet Cornelius felt that, as he walked out that door, he was nothing to him. The years had passed, and with them those feelings he had once cherished just grew to pain him. Yes, he knew this pain all too well. Hearing Wilbur curse him had made it official, but it was always there, and it always would be, and now, as Wilbur just watched as he walked out the door, it finally sunk in that it was all over.

_It's all over, _Wilbur thought. For twenty-seven years he had waited for Lewis to come back and finish everything, and now it had happened, and he couldn't tell if he was upset or relieved. He had practically spit in his face, but yet as he watched Cornelius leave he felt remorse, because somewhere in him he remembered their relationship.

He didn't like being reminded of what they were on a daily basis. After they had broken up, everything in the house was just a painful reminder, and he couldn't sleep at night because his bedroom brought back too many intimacies. He hated having to pass that closet every day, and he never looked at the door, and he never went inside it, because that closet held too much. Countless nights had Lewis come home with him, after his parents got over the idea, and countless nights had he, after dinner, dragged Lewis up the stairs and into the closet to kiss him goodnight before Cornelius took him home, and sometimes, those moments went too far, and got too intimate. Aside from that, he hated his father. His father was once Lewis, and he resented his father because if his father wanted, he could have invented something, somehow, to make everything work, but he didn't, and Wilbur couldn't stand to look at him, but that didn't give him the excuse to be a pathetic father.

The summer after Wilbur turned sixteen, Cornelius had started going to these summer science conventions, which toured the country and were famous and an honor to attend. He was gone from late June to mid-August, and Wilbur felt deserted. He had intended not to dorm, but when this started he wanted to leave the state. He went to attend college across the country, not caring that it was so much money for his parents to pay, and he didn't move back after school. When he finished, he rented an apartment in that far away state, and lived there for twenty years. He didn't get married, because the only one he had ever felt anything for had left him. He could never get over it.

While he was away, the Robinson house started to fall apart. His grandparents died, and the rest of the family got old. Tallulah and Lazlo held the place together. They constantly begged him to come home and help when he was done with school, but he refused. He couldn't face the daily reminders of what once was. Then a few months back, Tallulah fell and broke her leg. She was fifty-six, and it was obvious she couldn't do it alone anymore. After Lazlo's pleading, Wilbur agreed to come home and help care for his uncles, and now his parents. He hated having to come home, but he liked Tallulah, and she was basically the only family member he had whom he could say that about. So he packed up all his stuff and moved back to where he grew up, and he grudgingly saw his dad every day, and every day he wished he could have Lewis there, but his dad wasn't Lewis. His dad wasn't the one who, twenty-seven years earlier, he had imagined growing old with. Yes, even though their relationship was complicated, he had wished he could grow old with Lewis next to him, and somewhere in time that was lost. Somewhere in time, Lewis became Cornelius, he left Wilbur in the dust. He left him in the dust clamoring for what once was, because even though Wilbur officially ended it, Lewis made him do it. He was the one who hurt him and made him feel unwanted, and as he heard the door open and voices enter the house, he thought of how he would handle his meeting with his dad. Had Cornelius, old Cornelius, the one who had raised him, gotten memories of his meeting with Wilbur as it had happened? He looked toward the door, down the stairs and saw that it was only his father who was coming home. The rest of the family was leaving again. Yes, it must be that he had come home to deal with what had happened and the errands were not yet done, and the others were going back out to do them. Oh, how Wilbur didn't want to deal with this crap right now. It was bad enough that he now had to pass what he had tried to avoid all his life each morning, that dreadful closet, but now his father was going to talk to him about it. What could he do? Cornelius couldn't change anything, and he couldn't make it better. No one could make it better. Yet, as his father walked up the stairs, he remained still. He found that he couldn't move, and somewhere in there he was reminded how he wanted to grow old with Lewis. Looking at his seventy-two-year-old father, he found he had a burning, intense longing for Lewis to still be his, but he was still sore over what had happened, and that soreness was what had stopped him from forgiving Cornelius earlier.

His father stood in front of him in the empty hallway. It was truly, painfully empty. It had no life like it did those years ago. It was a sad house and it had been for years, and it held what would be happy memories turned bitter by regret, and it was made even more painful by the awkward silence that held the father and his son at this point.

"Wilbur," Cornelius began. "I know what happened today and I-"

"Don't say anything," Wilbur interrupted. "It doesn't mean anything. No matter what you say, it doesn't make it right."

"I know it doesn't," Cornelius retorted, "but why'd you do it? Why'd you talk to him like that? Like he was nothing. Wilbur, I was there those years ago, and so many things you thought were private, and they weren't. I know every time he would come over you would take him to your room and let him sit on your lap and just talk, and I know you would go to the closet every night to kiss goodbye, and I k-"

Wilbur felt his face flush at all the things his father mentioned. All those things happened when they were happy together, and he knew then how stupid it was date someone you could never have privacy with, because everything you did became someone's memory.

"He ruined my life. Because of him I'm nothing. Because of him I have no life and I can't move on, and you're trying to connect with me but it's not working. We're not "cool," Dad. We never will be."

"You may not be as fond of him anymore but did you have to make him cry? You say he hurt you but you're no better. You say you loved him and I know you still do but if you're serious about this you have to show it. You're not a kid anymore, Wilbur. You have to act like an adult."

"Don't tell me how to act! What do you care? You were always away when I was a kid and I hated you for it and I still do! What does it matter if I'm with him or not? Isn't it better for you?"

"No, it's not, because I know he's hurting. Wilbur, you made him fearless. He explored things with you that he would have been too scared to do with anyone else, and you know what I mean by that. I hate that I know your most personal moments but because I do I know he loved you in the purest way."

"Wait, you know that we…?"

"Yes, I do."

Wilbur shook his head, disgusted at where this was going. This topic, this detail, was so off limits. "I didn't want to pressure him into anything. We never really…well, we almost did…but it was on my birthday and we broke up before we could…how is this relevant?"

"He gave you all of himself and you let him go, that's why it's relevant. He really tried to do what was right by not messing with the time stream that much, but it didn't mean he didn't love you. Don't you see? Messing with the time stream could've meant you wouldn't exist. All he was doing was saving the one he loved!"

"He didn't save me," Wilbur replied. "He killed me. I'm dead because of him. I have no life. I'm nothing." He felt tears swell up to his eyes. It was true. Because of Lewis, he couldn't move on. He was stuck thirty years in the past, and now that his father stated all those things it seemed so painfully true. It made such sense it hurt, and when the tears started to fall they stung.

Cornelius leaned in to hug him and Wilbur moved away. "Don't touch me! Don't you dare touch me!" He didn't want any more painful reminders. He had hated Lewis before, and now he had realized his feelings and tried so hard to push them back.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Wilbur. You could get him back if you wanted to."

"I don't need him back. I don't want to remember any more." Regardless of how he felt toward him, time couldn't be repeated. He couldn't go back unless he knew that things would be different.

**A/N: Okay, I hope that wasn't too depressing this time around. And oooooooh, the hinting. ;) Okay so yeah, see you guys in a few days with chapter 5.**


	5. Lewis Comes Over

**A/N: I'm really just on a roll right now so I'm going with the motivation and moving forward at a fast pace. This chapter is happier so you guys should like it! Also, I meant to give the link to my timecest tumblr blog last time, but must censor out links. If you want it, send me a PM. (I may also put it on my bio page.) I always have a song to write to and this time I think I'm going with Thunder by Boys Like Girls. This chapter we're going to start following the relationship of younger Wilbur and Lewis, sort of seeing what went wrong and why they fall apart, but for now we have fluff. :D I can't really write fluff, but okay. (I am not responsible for broken voice boxes caused by squealing.)**

Thunder

For about three months after young Lewis came to the future for the first time, Cornelius dealt with the memories that came to him in silent pain. He couldn't tell anyone what went on in his head, and it ate him alive. No one could know because then they'd imagine he liked imagining his son in such awkward ways. This wasn't necessarily false, because the same things they did now he had done was too, but that was with someone he didn't raise. This Wilbur he had cared for since infancy, and he was his son, and this attraction was fatal. When he had done the exact same things, it wasn't with his son, but his best friend.

Wilbur was supposed to be grounded until death, but in the silence of the night he snuck out of his room and into the time machine. When no one was looking, he crept down into the garage and into the time machine, and he went thirty years in the past to visit the one he would one day hate. Cornelius felt he had cheated his son out of something. He knew exactly when this relationship would end, he knew how, and he knew every intimacy they would have in between, and yet he couldn't tell his son because of he did, that darn time stream would be ruined. Maybe, if he told Wilbur, he would want to save himself before he was hurt, and break it off. If that were done, it would be as if that were what had happened in an endless loop, and Cornelius would lose all his memories of his love because they would have been stopped before they happened. Although it caused him grief, he would rather hurt than feel nothing at all.

He knew everything about their relationship, and yet he felt oddly distant. He felt so far away from them because he couldn't interfere. He wanted to scream what would happen out loud. He wanted to say that they would grow to love each other every day and it would be the happiest and purest love anyone would ever feel, but like a feather it would blow away at one blow. He wanted to tell Lewis how he would hurt Wilbur, but he couldn't, and every time he felt him do something wrong he cringed, because each time it happened he was chipping away at a wall that would collapse in three years' time.

He was taking it the hardest, but in those first months he wasn't the only one in silence. Cornelius wasn't alone in his deep anguish which wanted to shout and yell and reveal the world. In this with him was his son, who had to keep his relationship a secret. Not a soul other than his father could know because if the family knew they'd put an end to everything. It was for this reason that he and Lewis always met in secret. He would visit in the dead of night because they couldn't be together when eyes were watching. As far as his family was concerned, he hadn't seen Lewis since the time machine was stolen. They thought Lewis was only a friendly memory to him, but this was far from true. Each day he found it harder and harder to keep what he treasured most hidden from the world, and he felt awful that nothing they ever did could be normal. This came with the circumstances, but it was so hard to maintain a solid relationship when you could never really go out or take your date to meet your family.

It was this intense dwelling on the matter that drew Wilbur to ask his father if they could actually pull off bringing Lewis to dinner. Being he was dating someone was sickeningly close to them, shouldn't the family know? In a couple of years they would wait for him to bring a girlfriend home and none would, and this was the best way to bring up to everyone that he was gay. This was a fact that he fully accepted by now, and sooner or later everyone else would have to. He was their family and they would learn to accept him, but it wasn't about accepting him; it was about accepting Lewis, of all people, as his boyfriend.

Number one on the list of people who would take it badly was Franny. She would no doubt think that Cornelius was driving his son to do it. She would assume the worst and think he was abusive when no one was around. How this idea could be conceived, Wilbur didn't know. It was so rare that no one was in the house. Such things couldn't exist in this world. The improbability of the situation didn't make it any better, because he just knew that's what his mother would think regardless of how it sounded. Yet, he really wanted to give Lewis a _real _date…

It was about eight in the evening. Franny was practicing with her frogs and the entire house was getting a private performance of what she had been practicing with them all month. Cornelius had to work on his invention and Wilbur said he had homework, but Wilbur had other plans. He realized that now was the best time to bring up having Lewis over the house. It would be now or never and as he walked across the hall to his dad's office he felt a strange mix of nervousness and excitement. Behind that door, was the answer to the question he had long wanted to ask, and he almost forgot to knock on the door when he was lost in thought.

"Who's there?" Cornelius asked. _Geez, _Wilbur thought. _Did he hear me coming? _He didn't answer right away. For a split second he thought if he really wanted to do this. Then he hated himself for even thinking of not going through with it. His father already knew he was gay. Asking to have his boyfriend over for dinner shouldn't be a shock.

"It's me," he answered hesitantly. _Well, that wasn't exactly the best thing to say. There are two million people in this house._ It was a lousy answer, but it was already said and done.

"Oh, Wilbur come in." Cornelius was just making this awkward. He was acting like having his son come in the room was a business meeting. Wilbur turned the doorknob and opened the door. He had only been in here several times before. This room was off limits to almost everyone.

"I thought you said you had homework," Cornelius stated, not even looking up. "If you need hel-"

"No, that's not what I came here for." He thought before continuing. How could he say this without it being strange and awkward? "Dad, I was wondering, you know about me and Lewis, and I know that you know we've been secretly seeing each other, but, I was wondering, could he maybe come over for dinner some time?" It all came out so quickly and when he finished his face was hot with effort. Cornelius had turned around and was staring straight at him, but Wilbur couldn't look him in the eye.

"That's not exactly a good idea," Cornelius said, breaking the silence.

"Why not?!"

"Because, having Lewis over isn't that simple. They don't even know about your sexuality yet, and you want to say that you're dating your father from the past. Not to mention your mother would-"

"But it's not fair! I just want to do something like a normal couple for once! I want to have one experience where I bring my date home to meet my family. Is that too much to ask?"

Cornelius looked down at the floor. He hated what had to be said next. "In this case yes, it is." He saw all energy and color drain from his son's face as water filled his eyes.

"But…but…we…you're…it's only one night, and…"

"I'm sorry, Wilbur. But if you want I could-"

"I don't need you to do anything for me! **I hate you!**" And he stormed out and ran down the hall into his room.

Cornelius hating having to deny his son like that, and his hateful last words stung for days. He _did _remember coming into the future for dinner but he couldn't remember how it had happened or under what circumstances it occurred. Maybe it was good if he was supposed to say yes and now ruined the time stream. That darn time stream had ruined his relationship and he wanted it to be badly damaged. He couldn't even imagine how Franny would react to such a thing as this. She would think he had married her just to have Wilbur. That was part of it, but after his relationship with Wilbur failed she was someone to turn to, and gradually he did fall in love with her, but it wasn't as intense as the one before her. For her, his break-up was an extremely good thing. He often wondered, as a kid, why Wilbur didn't disappear while he was with Lewis and he saw now that it was because he didn't start dating Franny until he was sixteen, and that's how it was supposed to be. He didn't realize this until he was older. He used to have countless conversations with Wilbur about what would happen if they went too far, messed something up and he disappeared. Yes, _it was always about the time stream. _Franny was too busy with her frogs to talk to anyone, so Lewis thought he hadn't missed an opportunity, but he told Wilbur that if one came he would have to take it, because he couldn't have him disappear. After a while they both came to accept this, but the way he understood the plan, he would still see Wilbur on the side, albeit not frequently and in more restrained conditions.

He tried to get back to his work. This invention had to be presented to the company tomorrow morning. He wished he didn't have to go in at all…

_Flash_

"What are you doing here? My parents are still awake, they could-"

"Yeah, I know, but this is important. My dad said no to the dinner. Can you believe it? I know it's an awkward situation but I can't pretend to be someone I'm not my whole life."

_His whole life. That's what he wanted this to last for._

"Well, he has a point, Wilbur…"

"No, he doesn't! How could you say that? And I'm going to ask again. I'm not putting up with this and you can't tell me no."

"Can."

"Can't."

"_Can. _I'm your fa-"

"No, you're not," and Wilbur violently turned so he was behind him.

_Flash_

He wrapped his arms around him from behind and pulled him backward so they both lay on the ground, and Lewis was practically on his lap. "No, you're not," he said, and he kissed his cheek. "You're my boyfriend."

_Flash_

It was thirty years behind him, but Cornelius felt his face flush red as Wilbur's lips pressed against Lewis's cheek, and he knew his younger self was reacting the same way.

"Sorry for playing the father card. I meant it as a joke."

"Yeah, I know. I don't deny who you'll one day be. I don't try to escape it. I can't."

"Wilbur?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

_Flash_

Coming back to his senses, Cornelius wondered how he could possibly deny them a dinner together, and when Wilbur came back he consented to having Lewis over later in the week. He knew when he consented that Wilbur didn't hate him anymore, but he was torn to pieces thinking that one day he would and he couldn't fix it.

Lewis was coming over Saturday night. It was Monday morning, and Cornelius knew he would have to warn his wife ahead of time. Wilbur wanted to be the one to tell the family, but Franny would react the worst way, and Cornelius knew this would have to come from his mouth and his alone. He would only tell her and swear her to secrecy so she wouldn't tell anyone else. There was a possibility she would blab, but if he didn't take that chance all Hell would break loose Saturday night. He had discussed this with Wilbur and he had accepted this, although reluctantly.

Cornelius waited until he got back from his presentation to tell her. Everyone who worked was out, and his parents were upstairs and would come down when everyone got home. This would be the most efficient way to do it. If everyone were home, they would hear her angry reaction and give everything away. She was practicing with her frogs in the other room, that same darn setlist for the upcoming performance, and she was happy, and it was now or never.

"Franny," he began. "If you're not too busy we have to talk about something."

She turned around in surprise, caught up in what she was doing. She signaled for the frogs to stop and walked toward him. She wasn't expecting what was to come.

"Well of course. You know, I was wondering how that new invention would be received. I was going to ask."

"Yeah, it went fine. They…they liked it." He couldn't look her in the eyes and the words were not going to come out easily. "But, it's not about that. It's about Wilbur."

Right away, he knew that wasn't the right thing to say. Her face was filled with concern in a matter of seconds and he felt he had scared her.

"Did the school call? Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing's wrong." He paused. "Do you, do you remember when he brought younger me…Lewis…over about four months ago?"

Color returned to her face. "Yes, I do. He hasn't done that since, though."

"Well, not really. Franny, something happened between them that day. They…they're…they've been seeing each other all these months and they love each other. Wi-"

"**What?! How could this happen?! How could **_**you **_**let this happen?! This is awful! And you…Did you…"**

"I know what you're thinking and I never laid a hand on him. Wilbur wants to have him over for dinner Saturday. I know it's a lot to handle but I couldn't stop it. It just happened."

"**You should know more than anyone that this could ruin everything! He could disappear."**

"Franny, calm down…"

"**Calm down?! How do I calm down? My son's in some incestuous relationship with the boy that will one day be his father and he could disappear."**

"No, he won't. We didn't get together until we were sixteen, Franny. Wilbur told me the conditions of his relationship with Lewis and he said that when that time comes, he'll leave. But I can't deny him happiness until then."

"How do I know you're not…you're not…"

"You think I'd molest my son? I'm not doing anything to him! Why can't you let him be happy? Obviously they stop seeing each other when Lewis gets with you, because Wilbur's still here. I'm not going to tell them not to be happy while they can, and I want him to have Lewis over."

The room was quiet. Franny was angry and she'd hate him for the rest of her life. "I'll tolerate it. But you're taking him home right after dinner and they can't be alone."

Cornelius sighed. "Fine."

"But I'm not leaving Wilbur alone with you, either."

Franny didn't tell the rest of the family, and for the rest of the week she was extremely tense. She couldn't look at her husband, but she found logic in what he said. She did believe that it would end when Lewis got with her, and this comforted her and made her believe that Cornelius wasn't doing anything with Wilbur, because he was married to her. Yet whenever they were in a room alone it was awkward, and both knew that this was inescapable. Cornelius missed her friendship, but his heart wasn't broken. You can't have a broken heart over someone you never really loved.

Cornelius picked up Lewis at about five o' clock that Saturday. Franny had said Lewis and Wilbur couldn't be alone, but he wasn't about to listen. They needed time to finalize the plan together, and he was literally Lewis once, and he knew he would want to be alone with Wilbur. He disregarded everything he believed in.

Because Franny couldn't know he was leaving them alone, Cornelius left the time machine in the garage and walked up the back steps with his younger self. They'd be able to avoid the family. He didn't think anyone even knew they had arrived home yet. He walked downstairs and left Lewis in Wilbur's room. The door was open, but lewis closed it to make sure anyone who passed wouldn't see them.

"Hey!" Wilbur said enthusiastically, and he sat up on his bed. Lewis walked in slowly. To say he was nervous was an understatement.

"Hey," and he smiled, but it was a poor effort.

"You're nervous," Wilbur added. "I can tell."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. I know you. Lewis, we went over this. It's going to be okay."

"Your mom didn't take it well."

"I know, but it doesn't matter. Is that what you're worrying about?"

Lewis sighed, and he moved closer until he stood in front of Wilbur, and he boldly sat sideways on his lap. "No, that's not the reason," and he felt arms wrap around him.

"Then what is it?"

"If this goes badly, I mean really badly, they'll make sure you don't have any contact with me whatsoever. They could keep us apart." And the arms around him tightened.

"They won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because, Lewis…I wouldn't let them."

In a matter of minutes, it was time to proceed with what had been planned. Cornelius had offered to break the ice. While they were upstairs, he had slowly been warming everyone up. The announcement would still be a shock, but hopefully this would help keep everyone relatively calm. If anything, it would keep everyone from screaming and making a big scene. There was no escape, however, from the suspicions that would surround him for the rest of his life.

Lewis went downstairs before Wilbur, as if to give the impression that they hadn't been alone together, and the room went up in gasps when he showed up. He could only imagine how they would react when they learned that he was gay. No, Wilbur would say he was gay, Lewis would have to say he was bisexual so they knew he would go with Franny when he to. It was something he dreaded. She was nice, but he had no romantic feelings for her, and he didn't know if he ever would.

Slowly, the room came back to life. He took a seat and sat down, but he felt no better. The reveal of the night was not about him being here, it was _why _he was here.

Gaston was the first to break the awkward silence. "To what do we owe the surprise, Lewis?" And he didn't answer. Instead, he watched as Wilbur came down the stairs, and as planned, he got up from where he was and walked to his side.

"Wilbur, have you been messing around with the time stream, again?"

"Yes, kind of. But for good reason." He took a deep breath. This was what they had waited for. "I'm gay, and," he felt Lewis's arm go around him for support. "Lewis and I…we're…"

He didn't have to say anything else. The room was in chaos. Eight faces lost all color and there was no sound in the room. It seemed like hours before anyone spoke, but Lucille was the first to comment.

"Well, I hope you're happy with yourself, Cornelius. Tormenting your son like that…"

"I've done nothing!" He shouted across the room. "It's their decision. They're happy together and who are _you _to tell them not to be? It's not their fault fate screwed them over!" Wilbur hasn't disappeared or had negative effects, because I don't start dating Franny until I'm sixteen, and they completely understand that when that time comes they must stop…but why can't they be happy now? Wh-"

"Because it's wrong!" That was Fritz. "It's incestuous and how do we know you don't ab-"

"Someone's always in this house! I don't molest my son because if I did, which I wouldn't, someone would catch it right away!"

"Cornelius, take Lewis home."

"LIKE HELL HE WILL!" And Wilbur walked closer to the table. "Lewis isn't going anywhere! My _boyfriend _is staying, and if you don't like it you could kiss m-"

"Wilbur, don't," Lewis interrupted, walking up to him.

"Cornelius isn't doing anything. He would never do that to his son. I know you guys are upset, but this is who we are. Just, please…accept it. I understand what I have to do and I intend on marrying Franny. I've talked to her and I like her, but she's not yet ready for a relationship, and in the meantime, I need someone like Wilbur. Don't ask us to change."

And the room became calm and its inhabitants admitted defeat.

"Sit down, Lewis," Lucille said. "You're still my son regardless."

It was after dinner, and Cornelius had to take Lewis home. The family was helping to put the dishes away, but Wilbur said he had a guest over, and Cornelius was supposed to chaperone them. Franny had forgotten that she didn't want them to be alone due to the excitement of the night.

He had no intention to chaperone them, though.

Wilbur dragged Lewis over to the closet and opened the door. It was the same closet where they had had their first kiss almost four months ago.

"So," Wilbur started, as he shut the door, "I can't take you home, and I guess this is where I should kiss you goodnight. You know, the way you stood up to them was really epic. My grandparents said you could come over again if you-"

And trembling lips silenced him.

"I'd love to, Wilbur. Good night." And he turned the knob and opened the door. Wilbur didn't even mind he couldn't take him home. It was perfect. _They _were perfect.

**A/N: Okay, so this took my three days and 9 pages to complete. Wow. I hope you liked it! :D Also, I didn't proofread efficiently, so I apologize for any typos.**


	6. The Sleepover

**A/N: I started this fewer than twenty-four hours after writing chapter 5. I just love writing this. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to start this for a few days because last night I had an incredibly awful sore throat to the point I thought I had tonsillitis. Luckily I took medicine and I'm back. I'm about halfway done with this story now. I may add a chapter or two or more than planned to the middle to embellish the relationship between Wilbur and Lewis, but I think if you're getting the point it won't be necessary. We'll see. **** Of course, if you guys want it I'll do it. Also, just a public service announcement, I think after I finish this story I'll take a little break before starting my next one. (It will be timecest but there's going to be a really cool twist, and it's not your average "Franny cheated and Wilbur isn't Lewis's son" thing. You'll appreciate it.) Again, there will be some fluff in this so bear with me. Song? Clarity by Zedd. This chapter may be kind of short, but the material will be good so I hope you don't mind!**

Clarity

After the dinner fiasco, to say there was tension in the house was an understatement. At the end of the night they had accepted the situation, but that didn't mean they were perfectly comfortable with it. The majority of the family was extremely uncomfortable, but they felt that if they didn't appease Lewis he would use it against them. He would have to marry Franny to ensure Wilbur's existence, but he could stop the rest of the family from living with them. I was stupid that they were almost afraid of him, but they feared for their home and didn't want the time stream messed up more than it already was. Somewhere in them they felt for the couple and their forbidden love, but the sympathy was guarded by walls and wouldn't show.

At first, they only allowed Lewis to come over if Cornelius picked him up, and then they made sure that the couple they had never dreamed of being together was not alone. Cornelius, though, always found a way to give them a few minutes to themselves during the night. After a couple of months, they told Wilbur he could have Lewis in his room if the door were open, and then they said that if Lewis knew his parents were not going to be home for a while and they were careful, he could go to the past. Lucille was a scientist who was often away, just like Cornelius, and bud came home at about five on Mondays because he liked to grade papers in the peace of the school building. Naturally, that was when they met in the past, but because one hour in the past was equivalent to two full days in the future, they didn't do this often.

Then about a year after that first dinner, the big test came. For a few months prior, Wilbur had been asking if Lewis could sleep over. Knowing that they were now a bit more serious, the family was hesitant, but Lewis was Cornelius, and he wouldn't do anything stupid. Surprisingly, they consented. It was a huge step for them, even if Lewis would be staying in the guest room, but they would still spend the night together, and if they showed responsibility, they may eventually allow them to stay in the same room together, albeit with Lewis on a sleeping bag. They had been together for a year and four months, and they had about two and a half years until Franny would walk into Lewis's life and change everything. They agreed to find time for each other through it, but Lewis wouldn't be able to come over anymore. It would have to be a secret again, and they wanted to do as much as possible before that. That is, what they were capable of doing.

Wilbur took the time machine into the past. Cornelius was supposed to take him, but he really didn't care about chaperoning them. He wanted them to be alone and he was so great about their relationship. Wilbur knew he got awkward memories each time he did something with Lewis, but his dad was just really cool about it. He hated to be cheesy, but his dad was really cool right now and he appreciated everything he did for them. If it weren't for him, things would have never worked out.

He parked the machine outside of what would be known as the Robinson Mansion and with a single touch of the control panel it was invisible. If Lewis's parents came home early, they wouldn't see anything. It was a sneaky move on the people who would become his grandparents, but these few hours they got to share together were more valuable to him than anything. Today was especially important, because today he would tell Lewis about the step his parents were consenting them to take, and he just knew he would be ecstatic about it. Why wouldn't he be?

The door was open, of course. The rest of the family hadn't moved in yet, but the open door policy existed even before then. He couldn't help but run up the steps and down the hall, forgetting that Lewis didn't know he was there yet. He made a right and pushed open the unlocked door. Yes, Lewis had been waiting for him.

"There you are! You're kind of late." Lewis was at desk drawing plans for a new invention, but he saw Wilbur come in and closed the book.

"Yeah, I know. Lewis, about how long in the past is one night in the future?"

Lewis turned around at the question. It had never mattered before how much time they wasted. Well, it did, but Wilbur never asked.

"Well, my estimate is approximately ten minutes. It's about the same amount of time as," and his face flushed, "you know, the day you first brought me from the past."

"When's your dad coming home?"

"Two hours, maybe? Wilbur, what's with all the questions?"

"Pack everything you need for the night in a bag, Lewis. You're coming home with me."

The room fell silent. Wilbur had expected Lewis to react right away. He had expected him to be excited, but he frowned and fidgeted in his seat. His reaction was delayed, and Wilbur could tell he didn't want to go home with him.

"Well? What do you think?"

"Wilbur, I'd love to, I honestly would, but, that's not the best thing to do right now."

"If you think I want to have sex with you that's not what I was thinking. I just thought…you know…we could spend time together."

"No, that's not what I was thinking. It's just, sleeping over could wreck the time stream a-"

"**THE TIME STREAM?! Lewis, I asked you to spend the night with me and you…all you…is that all that matters to you?! What am I to you?!"**

He knew what he said was too harsh.

"Wilbur, you're my…I...I…"

"If you're going to say you love me I don't want to hear it. Go talk to Franny or something. At least you won't mess up the time stream with her." He was desperately trying to control himself, but he wanted to cry. He wanted to scream and say how much he had just been hurt.

Lewis asked the question Wilbur didn't dare to. "Is this it? Are we really doing this?"

"**Oh **_**please. **_**Tell the sob story to someone who cares. Bye, Lewis."**

Wilbur was safe in the time machine but he still didn't cry. Awful wasn't the correct word to describe his feelings. He felt like the world had ended. He felt like everything had disappeared and life was gone, and in it he felt like he wanted to die. How could the one he loved had turned on him like that? How could he…

Back in the house, he couldn't stand to look at Cornelius. He knew he would question him but he didn't want him to. He wanted to be alone, but of course, such things were impossible in his house.

"Wilbur," Cornelius called. He had tried walking up the steps without being noticed but it didn't work. "Can I speak with you?"

He turned around.

"No, you can't."

Cornelius walked toward the foot of the staircase.

"I know what happened today. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I don't. I want nothing to do with you."

"That's not true, Wilbur. I know you didn't mean a hurtful word you said." The situation pained Cornelius. He remembered that day so vividly, but he had never thought it affected Wilbur. He thought he didn't care.

"Yes I did! I meant every word. I…he…he…we're thro-"

And Cornelius was close enough that when Wilbur lost his balance he fell forward and into his arms.

"We're d-done." And he was through with hiding his feelings because he cried into Cornelius's shoulder, and it was an ugly cry; the kind where you make almost demonic noises that come out badly. "But…I don't want it to be over. I don't want him to be gone and I don't want it to end. I don't want it! I want him." Cornelius had never understood just how badly denying the sleepover had hurt him, but he knew it now, and he gently helped Wilbur stand upright, preparing the conversation that would make things right. The real break-up wouldn't occur for two years, but if it were going to be like this it would be Hell.

"Wilbur, listen to me. Nothing has to be over if you don't want it to be. Go after him and I guarantee he'll want to try again."

"No he won't! He hates me!"

"No, he doesn't. He loves you, Wilbur," and he pulled him close again…

When Wilbur felt better he bolted back to the time machine. He didn't know if he had lost Lewis completely, but he couldn't sit and accept it, and he returned to the past with his face still red with tears and walked back up the stairs to Lewis's room…

"What are you doing back here?"

"Lewis, I was stupid. I know I took that badly, but I thought I had a reason…"

"You did, and you still do. I'm sorry about it, and I hope we…I don't want us to be…"

Wilbur hugged him.

"We're not, we're not. Hey, if you're not going to spend the night with me, do you want to come over a bit?"

"I'd love to."

Although they had reconciled, Wilbur didn't bring up the sleepover again. The trauma of that one experience, how everything had disappeared, stayed fresh in his mind, and he didn't dare risk losing everything again. He wasn't going to be that stupid again. But, if the weather was bad, would Lewis consent to staying over for his safety? It was something he thought of, and in a matter of weeks after first bringing it up, he got his answer.

It was cloudy when he had brought Lewis over, but Wilbur was sure if wouldn't rain before bringing him home. He was proven wrong. During dinner, it had started to rain, and by the time Lewis was to go home, thunder could be heard and flashes of lightening could be seen outside. There was no way he could go home in this. For his own wellbeing, he would have to stay the night. It was a decision made without quarrel, and Lewis was to stay in the guest room down the hall. However, Cornelius knew that in the middle of the night he would sneak out and walk quietly to Wilbur's room…

The door was open by just a crack. He knew which door it was because he had been here so many times he would know it with his eyes closed. He was a little disappointed to find Wilbur sleeping, because he had hoped he would be up waiting for him, but it was late and it made sense to be tired. He walked to the edge of the bed and crawled onto it, kneeling beside Wilbur, who was still fast asleep. He gently nudged him to wake up.

"Wilbur," he whispered. "Get up." A few efforts later he had succeeded in his attempt. Wilbur had his back toward him, but he could tell that he had slowly opened his eyes.

"Wh-what is it?" He was understandably groggy, but there was no anger in his voice.

"Well, I was in the room and…I felt lonely and I was thinking that maybe I could…could I sleep with you?" He watched as Wilbur turned to face him.

"Yeah, sure you can," and Lewis became less tense as he changed positions to lie down next to him. The room was kind of stuffy, but Wilbur pulled the blanket over the one he felt he couldn't live without.

"Is this too weird?" A hint of nervousness was detectable is Lewis's voice.

"No, not at all. It's really nice, actually."

"Could you promise me something?" And Lewis reached for Wilbur's hand under the blanket.

"Anything."

"Don't leave me alone."

And across the room Cornelius felt the distant memory of Wilbur kissing his forehead.

"**I promise."**

**A/N: Fluff is good, yes? ;D Especially after that beginning. This took me 10 hours so not that bad. **


	7. The Plan

**A/N: Okay, so we're starting to catch up with time. This chapter will be a combination of fluff/sadness and I honestly just thought of it. The snippet in here I just thought of was inspired by the song I'm writing this to. (Wedding Bells, you know, that song Nick Jonas wrote in response to Miley Cyrus getting married.) I know, you're probably thinking the song has no place here but you'll see why I chose it. ;)**

Chapter 7

Cornelius spent the months to come disgusted with himself. He was haunted by memories each day, and he felt pathetic because he so desperately wanted what his younger self had in his grasp, and what he took enjoyment in each day. It was upsetting how he would be able to feel the tension in the room after Wilbur had come from Lewis's house. They would be eating dinner and very frequently he would look up and stare at him with a look he prayed Wilbur would never decipher. When they sat near each other and an arm brushed against him all impulses in his body went wild. Everything in him sprang awake and there was such a need for what he couldn't have. In him he saw the only one he would ever love.

His thoughts had long been restrained, but as things got heated and the visions became more personal, his mind wandered to places he didn't want to go. They never really did anything, because Lewis would never go for it, but they were young and at times they came so close to crossing that fine line, to taking that extreme step. They would never get to do it, and maybe it was this sexual tension that made the situation so bad. That wasn't what their relationship was about, but when there's attraction and chemistry tension is there, and there was so much it would slap them in the face if it could. Wilbur was the one who made it the worst, though. It was his whole being. It was the way he talked, how he walked, everything about him was just irresistible, and it was a trait Cornelius desperately wished he didn't have.

He wished so badly he could say it got better. He wished he could tell himself that Wilbur aged badly and it would go away, but he had seen the day he visited him that it remained with age. That characteristic he couldn't put a finger on the thing that drove him _crazy _would always be there, and, being he knew Wilbur stayed at home when he got older, he figured he would just have to learn to cope.

There was no coping to be done. He had tried coping, and it worked for almost thirty years, but he knew he had never blocked it out. Wilbur was always there because he didn't have the opportunity to shove his ex from his life. He was an inevitable part of it, because he became his son. He could've chosen not to have him, but if he had that would have meant no Wilbur would have ever existed, and all his memories would be gone. He didn't want to forget them. He just wanted to be able to live his life. This was kind of impossible to do, being his life ended the day their relationship ended. He had never regained it, and as long as things stayed the way they were, he never would, and he dreaded having to remember that awful day. It was fast approaching; Wilbur's sixteenth birthday was two months away.

He knew that Wilbur would have to ask someone about bringing Lewis on vacation with them, and he knew he would ask him because Cornelius had always been the most supportive about their relationship. He wouldn't ask his mother because she would say no. Franny had grown to be okay with the idea of them together, but she was still a bit uncomfortable with it. She watched Cornelius carefully each time he interacted with Wilbur, because she never bought that he was not abusing him, and he kept wondering why she didn't just divorce him, then. Maybe it was for Wilbur, who she did deeply love, that she held her marriage together, although they hadn't had much of a marriage in two years. His parents had almost the same attitude, although they were more hospitable around Lewis. Once he left, however, they quietly voiced their negative opinions about the situation. Still, other members of the family openly voiced their anger, even in Wilbur's presence, and Franny's brothers even discussed moving out. Cornelius's uncles didn't bother coming down to dinner when Lewis arrived anymore. Wilbur and Lewis had gotten fearless, and they sat with their arms around each other, and it made them absolutely sick. Yet, in this, Tallulah and Lazlo kept quiet. They kept their uneasiness to themselves, and they remained friendly to Wilbur even when Lewis wasn't watching.

When Lewis wasn't there, hostility built between Wilbur and the rest of the family. They weren't mean, but the level of tension and the awkwardness of the situation seeped through. They would never look at him the same way again, and again Cornelius saw just how much pain he had caused him. Wilbur thought it was all worth it at the time, but if Cornelius had known just how much he had hurt him, he would've stopped it. It was never his intention, and it tore him in two to see what he blindly did to the one he just wanted to be happy. It didn't matter if Wilbur didn't mind. What mattered was that he did what he promised he wouldn't: hurt him. It was a silent but a sure promise that came with the commitment, and he broke it on day one. He broke it the first time they kissed and had to walk away because they had to fix that time machine. He broke it in the closet. Yet, Wilbur was so nonchalant about it that he intended to take him on vacation with them.

Cornelius was working on plans for a new invention when Wilbur came in to ask about it. He had dived into his work when things started to get serious, so it wouldn't hurt as much to remember, but it didn't work, because after remembering each visit he would curl up and be immobile for hours on end. He couldn't move because a piece of him was gone. A peace of him was dead, and that piece had expressed that he would rather die than come back to him.

"Dad," Wilbur said hesitantly. He was leaning against the open door. Cornelius had left the door open in anticipation of this conversation. He knew it was going to come soon. He turned around, and was instantly reminded of how Wilbur drove him crazy. _I should really tell him to stand up straight_, he thought, but that would be leading on too much. It would give the impression that he was losing control. Inside he was though, because he saw a memory coming without Wilbur even being in the past. If he remembered correctly, the thought in his mind occurred the day before the party.

"_How am I going to do it, Wilbur? How am I going to marry someone I don't love? How am I going to pretend I love her? How am I supposed to physically show it when I don't? It's supposed to be like this in some perfect universe In some perfect universe I'm supposed to love her.…but I don't want to marry Franny! I love you."_

_And Wilbur straightened his posture and stopped leaning against that darn door. He walked over so smoothly the thought sent blood rushing so quickly through his body, and he could feel the breath running down his neck as Wilbur got close and wrapped his arms loosely around his neck._

"_Don't worry about it. We have a lot of time still, and when the day comes, I'll sneak in the back and be there. It's not like I'm crashing it if you secretly want me there…" And he almost trembled as he remembered the next thing that happened. He remembered how Wilbur had placed his lips so close to his ear to finish what he was saying…_

"_Just imagine you're saying them to me."_

_And his face turned red just remembering the several sweet kisses that were planted on his cheek next._

"_Wilburrr, stop!" He said in playful response, but it was no use._

"_Don't try to be defensive. You're blushing. You know what I noticed, Lewis? You're very obvious. It's cute. It's one of the things I love about you."_

"Are you listening?" Cornelius came back to reality. How long had he been staring off into space? Maybe if he did it enough times Wilbur wouldn't ask and he wouldn't have a reason to end things with Lewis. If he did, would things be the way they should have been? Would older Wilbur come visit him like nothing had ever happened? Like they had just spent thirty years of bliss together? No, he couldn't do that. Something like that would eventually correct itself and throw things off too much.

"Yes, yes I am. Sorry about that, Wilbur. I've been working on something and it's very complicated and I'm not sure what formula to use for the solution to my problem. To what do I owe the visit?" Much to his relief, he saw Wilbur stand up straight. At least he could concentrate now.

"About how long in the past is two weeks in the future?" Cornelius was well acquainted with these questions by now. Wilbur asked them a lot because the time difference was a big hurdle when it came to his relationship with Lewis.

"Um…roughly…about two days. Wilbur, what are you planning to do?" He saw him fidget uncomfortably with the question.

"Well…I was thinking…I don't want a lot for my birthday…so maybe we could take Lewis on vacation with us in the summer instead? We always go upstate to that private house near the woods and it's big enough for another person so… I'll behave myself, I swear!"

_So,_ Cornelius thought. _This is how it happened._

The house Wilbur mentioned was a family tradition. Cornelius was never home for long periods of time, and he made certain to set aside those two weeks in August for a small vacation. He set it up so that the company was run efficiently and escaped for that short amount of time. It was always just him, Wilbur, and Franny who went. The rest of the family gave them privacy in that way, and they led separate lives for those fourteen days.

"I'm not sure that's a very good idea," Cornelius said without thinking. He didn't know why he said it. Maybe it was just the practical side of him showing. As soon as he said it he wished he could take it back, because he saw Wilbur's face drop so suddenly.

"Why not?! We're not going to do anything bad. I think I'm ready to do this." He crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive position.

"I'm not saying you're immature, Wilbur. I'm saying that two days in the past is too long to keep Lewis away from his family. What would be his excuse?"

"We could say he's sleeping over a friend's house for two nights. Do you think Bud and Lucille would try calling the parents during that time?"

"Well no, my parents never talked to the parents of my friends once I hit a certain age, but can we take that risk? What if they did decide to call?"

"I want to try it! I'm going to tell Lewis about the plan on my birthday and we'll discuss it then. Can't we at least try to think of a plan?"

Cornelius was about to admit defeat. He felt evil for setting his son up for something he knew would never be successful, but he knew Wilbur would eventually hate him and he wasn't going to bring that on earlier than it had to be.

"Okay, we can try it."


	8. Seeing the Light

**A/N: Okay, so I have about three chapters (including this) and an epilogue left. This is going quickly. We're going to be back with older Wilbur this chapter. (Yeah, you probably hate him but let's put that aside.) Song: Last Kiss-Taylor Swift Also, a small profanity warning. Just a little for emphasis.**

Chapter 8

It was something how the time stream edited itself the way it did. Cornelius had done enormous amounts of research before building the first time machine, and new discoveries kept piling in even after they were built. These discoveries did not involve memory or the people affected by these memories, but time itself. He knew there was a time difference between the future and present. In the future, twenty-four hours really meant one hour in the past. It continued this way, and no scientist could ever really answer why the time difference was so great. It would become one of the world's most bothersome unanswerable questions. Time didn't seem like it would catch up with itself, and it was presumed that it wouldn't, because then all continuity would be gone. Yet, somehow, Wilbur and Lewis aged together. A year didn't pass in the future without young Lewis having a birthday, and it baffled Cornelius because it wasn't supposed to work like that. Rightfully, logically, their two and a half year relationship should've been two months in Lewis's time, but when Wilbur's sixteenth birthday came Lewis was fifteen. Continuity and logic had disappeared, and Cornelius couldn't discuss it with his colleagues because of the uniqueness of the situation. Yet, in the back of his mind he knew the answer: The love that broke all rules wasn't held together by the threads of time.

The acceptance of this answer didn't stop Cornelius from looking for answer, however. When Wilbur and Lewis got serious and started spending all major milestones together, he became aware how holidays and birthdays would line up. Their birthdays lined up as if they were born in the same year, and it perplexed him because it just wasn't supposed to be that way. Yet, their relationship denied the forces of time any hold on them. Time had no authority and no presence. He didn't know what caused it, and he didn't think any scientist would ever discover it. It was a unique occurrence that would stay hidden from the world for all eternity. He would have thought that after they ended their relationship and stopped seeing each other, time would have fixed itself, but he discovered that day he visited older Wilbur that that was not true. Their relationship left a permanent mark on the time stream, and rightfully so, but looking back Cornelius regretted nothing. He regretted not one touch, he regretted no hug, and he would relive that last kiss fifty times over if given the chance. He would jump in his arms with no hesitation and leave his life here behind, but that wouldn't happen. Wilbur had made it quite clear that he didn't want him anymore.

_**I DON'T WANT YOU ANYMORE.**_

"_What will happen if, you know, when I have to be with Franny more than you, we grow apart?"_

"_That won't happen in a million years, Lewis. __**You're the only person I'll ever want.**_ And if you have to be with her, I'll wait for you."

Did he even remember those words? Were they echoing through his mind while he turned on those same words those two years ago? Did he _like _to turn on them, in some sick, twisted way? But then again, everything about them was sick and twisted. And now, today, thirty years after their last happy day together, was he thinking about it? Was that last kiss running through his head…

**Was it still trembling on his lips?**

It was one of the only times Lewis would make the move. And he still remembered taking him by surprise to give him his first kiss as a sixteen-year-old. He remembered turning him around and nearly knocking him off his feet as he was taken surprise. And he remembered his lips trembling in nervousness as if they were to kiss for the first time.

**It was the first time he had actually physically wanted him. And it made him dizzy in a frenzy. **

"_Hey, what are you doing for your birthday?"_

"_Well, I want you to come over again."_

"_Oh, sure. Of course. Your house is always so festive on birthdays."  
"Yeah…"_

"_Wilbur? Is something wrong?"_

"_Well, I hate to say it. You'll probably hate me."_

"_That's not possible. What's up?"_

"_Well, I want to… My dad does this thing on my birthday where he sets up some cool light show, we do it every year, you've seen it. Anyway, everyone else goes out and my dad is alone in the house for an hour, he's downstairs, though, and I could say I'm sick and you could offer to stay with me…Lewis, I want to…I don't want to force you but…I want to do something…Can we…I want to try…"_

"_Wilbur, there isn't a person on this earth I'd rather take this step with."_

Thirty years after the fact, those words were still ringing in his head. It was such a beautiful image, but such a thing would never happen. They would be ruined by his stupid obsession of the time stream, and he didn't want to admit it, but Wilbur had every right to hate him, because he realized he turned what could have been their most beautiful moment into something that **had ruined their lives.**

The day it would end had come, and thirty years ahead of Cornelius, someone was aware of it. It hadn't left his mind, as much as he tried to block it out. Since the day Cornelius had come to visit him, he had been waiting for this day, and now it was here. It was his birthday, but it was Hell. He knew that today, thirty years in the past, the vicious cycle would continue. Today the younger version of himself would be torn apart and broken, and he didn't have the means to stop it. Well, he did, but if he did, he would correct time and still be with Lewis, and therefore still be played like a game. He didn't even know what he wanted anymore.

It was Wilbur's birthday. He was forty-six, but he didn't recognize his birthday anymore. His birthday had been special those two years he spent with Lewis, but now they just reminded him of how old he was getting, and of how long it had been since he had felt alive. He didn't celebrate his birthday anymore. His seventeenth and eighteenth birthdays were depressing, and when he moved out he stopped celebrating his birthday altogether. He didn't visit his family and he barely answered his phone. Once every couple of years he would answer a call from Franny or Tallulah, but that was it. He didn't visit, and he sure as Hell didn't talk to his father. No, his father was the reason he was in this mess. This was the first time in years he was recognizing his birthday, and he didn't like it. It had been thirty years. .Years. Now, today, he was going to have to act happy about this day. He wasn't. He wished he had never been born.

It was this lack of interest in the day that made him treat it like just any other day, and it was because of this that he found himself helping Franny take old boxes down from the attic. Well, it wasn't exactly an attic. He was told that after his father retired, all his inventions had gone to the company, where they were stored under lock and key. Being his only son wanted no part in the company, the position went to his closest business partner. The room that was once the place where he kept all his inventions therefore became the attic. It held no more magic. The house was just ordinary now, and so was the family. Therefore, it seemed normal that they kept all their dirty little secrets locked away in the top room of the house.

"Just take the downstairs and go through them. Keep any pictures, but if anything broken or really old we can get rid of it." There was Franny, taking charge. She was assertive, but polite, and it was this quality that made people not mind when she gave orders. She was just so nice about it.

Wilbur took the last box down the stairs and into the living room that was filled to the brim with these brown boxes. Apparently, this was a new spring cleaning method Franny was trying out. It was an attempt to free up some space in the room and symbolically get rid of bad memories, but when your bad memory was living with you could you escape it? He didn't want to be here, and yet he had to be. It was too late to get out now, and his birthday was the worst day of the year for him. On this day, he especially wanted nothing to do with his father, but at the moment, he had to deal with him. It was torture of the worst kind.

He sat down on the old couch he was sure would never get thrown out. It was that same couch he had sat on with Lewis so many times those years ago…

No. Lewis didn't mean anything to him anymore. He had to keep occupied with work. He couldn't dwell on this today. Damn this house. It made everything worse and made him too depressed. It wasn't healthy that the cause of all his problems was something he was being forced to face each day. Why _did _he even stay here? Well, it was too late to ask this. He had moved out of his apartment and he guessed someone had moved in, and he wasn't even working. Maybe he would get a job and move back out. Tallulah was getting better, anyway. They had to understand that, even if he wasn't married with kids, he had a life and couldn't forget that. His life was…well…he couldn't think what it is. Had his life really been gone for thirty years? Was he just some zombie walking around with no purpose…

**Enough.**

This was ridiculous. He opened the first box, not because he was eager to waste the day like this, but because he couldn't think about what was trying to enter his mind. He couldn't entertain the thoughts that plagued him. Yet, upon opening the box, he found it was not full of antiques, but pictures. It was such a small pile he didn't even know when it got its own box. There were about a dozen, face down in the box. Someone had thrown them in with no care. What _were _they? He gathered them into a sloppy pile and picked the disarray of photos up. He didn't even know what they were yet. Picking one up and turning it over, a thousand memories came flooding back…

_Come on, you two have to take a picture._

_Lewis does, I don't really…_

_It'll be fun! And he remembered the arms that wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer as the camera flashed._

He dropped the pile. Half went on the floor and the other half spewed across the room, and he couldn't silence the gasp coming from his lips. He didn't know why it shocked him so much. It was the first memory he had let play, the first one he did not try stopping, but it wasn't necessarily a vibrant one. It wasn't the worst thing that could've come to mind.

"Wilbur, are you alright?"

_Oh, great_, he thought. Cornelius must have heard his odd reaction and come to check what was going on.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I don't need help."

"Don't be ridiculous. There's a lot of stuff here."

"Yeah, well, I'll take care of th-" He found himself to be too late. Cornelius had already bent down to pick up the fallen pictures.

"Better be careful with these," he said. "You know how your mom likes to keep these in good condition."

_Actually, I don't._

"So…what was it that made you so excited?" He sat down next to him. The room grew tense and Wilbur hated how close he was to his father right now. Didn't he know what today was? He probably did. He was just not going to acknowledge his wish of being alone.

"Nothing. I don't need the company, either." He saw his father was not paying attention. Instead, he was looking at the same picture that had thrown him off.

"How long has it been since we took this? Is it thirty years? Thirty years today?"

"Pfft, what do I care?"

"You obviously do, Wilbur. You got very upset over this picture."

"No, I didn't." Wilbur's voice was firm. He wasn't letting his father into his mind.

"Then why'd you drop the pile and gasp in anguish?" He let out a small laugh. "You're not secretive at all."

_What had he told Lewis? Was it something like, 'you're really obvious?'_

"I _didn't._ Stop thinking you know everything about me."

"I'm not making that assumption."

Yes, you are, **LEWIS.**"

_What? Had he just…?_

"Wilbur, tell me the truth. Do you still love him? Honestly."

The audacity of the question was stifling. It was none of his business.

"You're not answering."

_Do you still love him?_

_Love him._

_**I love you, Lewis.**_

He felt choked by tears that had taken thirty years to come out. "Y-yeah. I do," and as soon as he said it he felt like kicking himself. How could he say such a thing aloud? How could he admit to himself that he still felt what he tried so hard to deny? Why had he…

_Oh God, what had he done?! _He felt himself break down in tears as if his body lost all substance. He was just a blob with no body and it took a good three minutes for him to find his voice.

"It's too late now. It's too…"

"No, it's not. The time machine was the only thing I kept for myself after I retired. This is why. It's downstairs."

"But, what will we tell everyone?" He saw his dad smile at the question.

"It's not like you're still in the closet."

He smiled at their inside joke and traveled to the garage. The time machine was about to make it all right...


	9. Just Like It Was

**A/N: The big moment is coming! I have a lot of stuff to fill in this chapter so it will be lengthy. I hope you don't mind reading a lot in one sitting. It can be divided, though. I don't think the continuity would be that hurt. This is what I've been waiting to write the whole story. Soooo here we go.**

Chapter 9

Back in the present day and away from the tension between a much older Wilbur and his father, birthday festivities were taking place. Birthdays were part of a select few days when the house seemed relatively normal. This normal wasn't the normal the average person would settle for, but it was normal for the Robinson household. It was the normal that existed before the family knew of the relationship that broke all rules. It was just a taste of the normality that had ceased to exist the day Wilbur invited Lewis to dinner. Since then, his family life had been difficult, but he didn't regret it…_yet. _He didn't yet know how he would one day hate Lewis. Even though their relationship was a hard one, he loved him, and they had their bad moments, but didn't everyone? He didn't believe all relationships to be perfect, but Lewis wasn't a bad person, and he had never really hurt him. They had had rough patches, mostly involving the time stream and how to spend time together without messing anything up, but they always reconciled. Recently, they had worried about what to do when Lewis became close to Franny. He was to turn sixteen in ten months, and it was possible that in a year Lewis would be dating her. They had spent weeks discussing how their relationship would be carried out while he was dating her, and, for that matter, how they would handle it for the rest of their lives. They were determined to work something out, and Wilbur so hoped that his greatest wish, to spend his life with Lewis, would be fulfilled. Maybe, if Lewis invented something to make it possible, they could even get married. He could disguise himself or make a fake identity, and they could be together. They wouldn't live together, but they would know that they belonged to each other, and they would have each other until death. Wilbur was clueless to what was about to happen, but his family had even less of a clue. They had never seen Wilbur and Lewis have a bad moment, and it was a topic of discussion, when Wilbur and Cornelius weren't around, to discuss how good they seemed together, despite the circumstances. They did not see the fight they had had the day Wilbur mentioned sleeping over, and they had not seen him cry. They did not know that they had broken up and had stayed so for a good fifteen minutes, before Wilbur returned to make things right, and they didn't know that they were about to end it for good. They didn't know that one day, Lewis would grow up to have a son who would also leave the garage door open, and the same thing would happen again, and they didn't know that the Wilbur who seemed so in love now would refuse him in twenty-seven years, and tell him to leave his house. The only one who knew what was about to take place was Cornelius, and he couldn't tell a soul. If he did, and Lewis found out what could possibly happen, he might want to give up altogether, and refuse to have Wilbur at all. This change would ruin Cornelius's life even more than it already was. He could live being hated by his, he hated the word, ex-boyfriend, but he would kill himself knowing he wasn't in the world at all anymore.

So here he was, on the day he had so long tried to forget. This day was the one he hoped had never come, not because he regretted his son getting older but because he couldn't stand to lose the love of his life for a second time. He didn't want to relive that awful moment, when his world was dragged from under his feet and spit in his face, and this time, Wilbur wouldn't come back for him. He knew that this Wilbur, this younger one, wasn't his. He belonged to young Lewis, but still he was a reminder of what had once been the best years of his life. Each time they kissed, he felt it on his lips so sweetly, and he liked it. His son loved him for supporting their relationship, and although it wasn't the kind of love he really wanted, he settled for it. He had lost the one he was going to spend his life with, but his son kept him happy, and now, when he ended it with Lewis, his son was going to turn on him and hate him forever. He couldn't stand losing the only thing that kept him alive, even if Wilbur was driving him insane with unrequited love. He was scared of crawling up into a ball and crying when Lewis stormed out of the house alone. He was scared of having to live with Wilbur's hatred every day of his life. He was scared of having to wake up and see Wilbur and wanting so desperately to tell him that Lewis still loved him and being shoved away. He was scared of missing the visions. They were sometimes annoying, but they made him feel alive, and they made him feel. He had gone thirty years without his arms around him, and he didn't want to do it again. He didn't want to die without his arms around his body.

Today, the visions of his younger self brought nothing but pain. He had let Wilbur pick him up, but there was such a painful tension. Cornelius knew exactly why. He knew what they were planning to do, and it made them both nervous. They were both for it, but like any right-minded teenagers they were scared. They didn't kiss, but instead had unintentional physical contact. Elbows rubbed together, their legs touched, and it made them both blush like mad. There was an eager tension, a rather excited tension, and they both expected something beautiful, but they wouldn't get it. This made Cornelius a virgin in many ways. Yes, Wilbur had been born and he had partaken in certain things with Franny, but he had never really enjoyed himself. She hadn't been the person he wanted to lose himself to, and maybe if Wilbur had been the one to explore with him first then maybe he could have bared it. However, he knew all too well that this thought was just a fantasy, and what his younger self wanted would never happen.

He had managed to get through most of the day without incident, and barely escaped Wilbur's awkward eye contact at dinner, but the whole time his stomach was in knots. The whole time he was waiting for his family to announce that they were going out, and then Wilbur and Lewis would stay home, and within the hour it would be over. How was he supposed to put the lights up when he couldn't concentrate? They would be expecting it, and he wasn't even sure he could do it tonight. He watched as they began to leave…

"Mom," Wilbur began, just as they were leaving. "I don't really feel well. I think I'll stay upstairs while Dad puts the lights up."

Franny made her daily concerned look. Cornelius wasn't sure if she was concerned over Wilbur being alone with him, or if she was concerned about her son's health.

"What's wrong? Are you hot, do you have a fever?" Wilbur backed away. He didn't want her to put her hand to his forehead and discover he had no fever.

"No, I don't think I do, but, I don't think it's good for me to go out."

"Well then, we'll stay home."

"No! I don't want you guys to stay here because I am. You go out and have fun. Lewis will stay and keep me company." He got the feeling that that wasn't the best thing to say. Once it came out of his mouth he felt it was too obvious.

"But this is for your birthday, Wilbur…"

"Yeah, and I want you to celebrate it. Go on; you guys go out."

Franny didn't like where this was going. She was suspicious, but she knew if she started to pick a fight it wouldn't end well. She didn't feel like arguing with her son on his birthday, but she prayed he wasn't about to do anything stupid.

"Call me if you need anything," and she turned to leave.

"So we're going? Just like that? How could we possibly go out without Wilbur…on his _birthday_?" Lucille was trying to be practical. This wasn't settling right with her either, and it would be hard to get her out of the house without good persuasion.

"I just want you guys to have fun. You do this every year, and I shouldn't hold you back."

"Yes, you should. It's your birthday."

"Lucille," Lewis stepped into the conversation. "If you don't go, and follow normality, I have a strong belief it could throw off the time stream, and the side effects would be disastrous. It could ruin the future, and we don't want _that _to happen again." He said this, and Wilbur smiled. Lewis always knew exactly what to say.

"Well then, I guess we're leaving," and one by one the family filed out. When they were gone, the knot in Cornelius's stomach tightened, because he knew it was just a matter of minutes before what he dreaded would begin to happen. He was a wreck, and he noticed that in his excitement he had left one of the necessary tools up in his room.

"Wilbur, I have to get something upstairs. You and Lewis could…" He stopped. He couldn't say anything. He knew _what_ was going to happen. How could he put it lightly?

"Well, you could…just…behave." _Oh, yeah, sure. They want to behave. They really have that in mind. _It was a stupid thing to say, but it was the only thing he _could _say. As he approached the door to his room he thought of what he was going to do while he waited for everything to be over. He really didn't know what to do, and he had run out of time to think of an appropriate escape. He could always stay in his room…

He opened the door, and turning on the light, jumped when he saw that he wasn't alone in the room. _Was that…? No, it can't…there's no way…_

"Hi, Lewis," Wilbur said hoarsely. He said it nervously, and the words barely escaped his throat.

"Wh-what…how'd you get up here?"

Wilbur smiled. "I have the keys to the garage, remember? The travel tubes come in handy when you want to avoid everyone in the house."

"Oh, right. Wilbur, do you know what today is?" The words escaped his mouth so quickly, and he wished he could have stopped them, but it was too late.

"Yeah, I do. I know what day it is for us. Lewis, I-Wait do you hear that?"

"I do. It's us. Isn't it?" He walked closer to the wall and put his ear against it. He would have a clear vision playing for him like a movie in his head, but he still felt like he needed to hear it better. He felt like he had to be even closer. Wilbur walked up beside him and did the same, and unconsciously put his arm around him, but Cornelius was so consumed in what was going on in the other room that he didn't even notice.

_Flash_

_Wilbur opened the door, and Lewis followed. They faced each other in the lamplight._

"_Lewis, I just want you to know that, if you don't want to do this, you don't have to. I don't want to force you. I love you."_

"_You're not forcing me. I want to do this. Wilbur?" He pulled him closer and into a heated kiss, and as Cornelius remembered this he saw the one he stood next to almost fall back. It was the passion of the moment that almost knocked both of them off their feet, and as he pulled away he remembered how red Wilbur's face was. He shivered as he felt his arms wrap around him, and going back to the present for a second he noticed for the first time the arm around him. He didn't mind._

"_Before we…you know…do anything, I want to tell you something."_

"_What's that?" And Lewis pushed him back so he fell on top of him._

"_Well, my parents and I go to a small house near the forest each summer; it's just us, and we go for about two weeks, and I asked my dad, and he said we could take you." _

_Cornelius painfully remembered how happy Wilbur looked when he said that, and how his son didn't know that in fifteen seconds everything would be over. He felt his face flush in the memory of what they had planned to happen…_

"_Oh, that's good."_

"_What? You're not excited?"_

_Flash_

"_I'd love to, but, Wilbur, two weeks in your time would be a couple of days in mine, and I'm just not sure that's good for the time stream..._

_Flash_

_Flash_

_Flash_

"_**The time stream?! You won't go on vacation with me because of the time stream?!"**_

"_I love you, I do, but I think if I spend more than twenty-four hours of your time here I could damage everything. I don't want y-"_

"_**DO I MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?" **__He remembered the harsh blow as Wilbur pushed him off his body. __**"I can't believe you! I can't believe that…" **__He got up and started pacing the floor, and he was in pure anguish, but Lewis didn't notice. He was too upset to notice anything._

"_Don't act like I don't care about you, Wilbur! I lov-"_

"_**DON'T YOU DARE SAY YOU STILL LOVE ME!"**_

_Flash_

_Flash_

_Flash_

_Cornelius stepped back. Hadn't Wilbur told him the same thing three years ago?_

"_I do! I just, I can't-"_

"_Don't give me an excuse, Lewis," and he said his name with pure venom in it. "You don't give a __**fuck **__and you never did!"_

"_Yes, I do! You're the one who's being stupid!"He was on his feet now too, and he reached for his shoulder, but Wilbur pushed his hand away._

"_You never put me first! This is the last time I'm asking you. This is the last time I'm putting up with you! You never cared!"_

"_Oh, shut your trap! You're saying __**I'm **__a bad person? You wanted to have sex with the future version of your father! You brought it up! You're sick!"_

"_**Go to Hell. **__You agreed, Lewis. My point is, you've always refused me. The time stream means more to you than I ever did. I won't be played anymore."_

"_That's not true! I just I-"_

_He couldn't get it out. __**I can't go with you because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we messed up the time stream so much you disappeared. I can't live without you.**_

_**I can't live without you. DON'T MAKE ME LIVE WITHOUT YOU.**_

_Flash_

_Flash_

"_See? You're not saying anything because you don't care." __**Cornelius noticed he began to cry. **__"Go home, Lewis. Take the time machine and leave. My dad will pick it up."_

"_So we're…"_

"_**There is no 'we.' You treated me badly and you know what, Lewis? You're going to miss me when I'm gone."**_

_**Flash**_

"_Maybe when I marry Franny I'll actually have a decent relationship." Lewis had to fight back. He had to maintain some dignity._

_He saw the tears swell to Wilbur's eyes. _

"_Out of my house! I never want to see you again!"_

_Cornelius felt himself running down the stairs of the house, tears stinging as he went toward the time machine. It was over._

Out of his trance, Cornelius turned to Wilbur, and he saw the awful, pained look on his face which he had gotten to know so well over the last three years. He saw it now. He had begun to see it when Wilbur cried to him about Lewis not sleeping over, but he now saw how he had hurt him. He saw that although he was right to fear for Wilbur's life, he never told him, and in that way he played him. In that way, he had killed him, and he had ruined their relationship.

"Wilbur..." he fought to get the words out. 'I never…I never meant to…"

"You don't have to apologize. I was stupid. All those years I thought that you hadn't cared, but I realized that it was because you cared that you didn't go. You didn't want me to disappear because you-"

"Because I love you." He watched as Wilbur's eyes widened at the use of the word in the present tense.

"You were right when you said I'd miss you when you were gone. There hasn't been a day in the last thirty years that I haven't thought about you!" He felt himself being embraced in a hug, and as he hugged back he was choked with tears. It felt so good to be held by him again. It was so good to have Wilbur's arms wrapped around him again. "What does this make us?" He couldn't help but ask it. He had to know if they were going to try again. He felt Wilbur gently pull away, but he didn't move his arms from around him.

"I was hoping you'd give me another chance at this." The room began to spin as they both leaned in, but midway there Wilbur stopped himself. "Wait, not here. I want to take you somewhere." He took him out into the hall and turned, and Cornelius suddenly realized where they were going. Now in front of them was that closet where, almost thirty-three years ago, they had had their first kiss.

"Come on!" Wilbur was pulling him into it. It was just like that first day, although now he knew what was going to happen, and it made him nervous. After so many years the thought of being happy with him sent his head spinning. Wilbur closed the door, but the light was on, and Cornelius couldn't help but wonder why. He felt those familiar arms go back around him in their protective grip, but he remembered the light show in that instant, and wasn't…was his son home?

"I'd love to stay here with you."

'Then why don't you? We have time."

"I haven't been in this closet in years, Wilbur." He paused. He had just gotten him back, and he was about to mess it up. "Younger you is still here and I only have a bit of time to set up the lights and if I don't they'll get suspicious."

"No, you have extra time." Wilbur inched closer and the room began to spin again. "After we ended it, I left the house. I called Mom and said I was going to meet her. I was so angry at my dad for not helping me keep you that I left without telling him. Anyway, Lewis," and he said his name so sweetly, "because I'm upset, we'll be home about an hour later than planned."

"You're telling me I have you all to myself for an hour?"

"Yeah…" He trailed off. With one hand he traced fingers lightly down the front of Cornelius's shirt, and with the other he reached for the light.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm finishing what I started."

And the closet became dark.

When all was done, and the euphoria began to wear off, Cornelius walked out of the closet and tried to prepare his head to work. He had forty-five minutes to prepare the lights. Wait, had the euphoria worn off? No, it wouldn't for a while. What had just happened was delayed by thirty years, but it had been worth the wait, and he didn't regret a thing. He brought the tool he had forgotten before down to the living room, and was surprised to find that Wilbur, who was now his again, had not left.

"I figure that, being I distracted you for an hour, I could help you." There was a sly smile on his face at the word "distracted."

"You don't have to. It's not like it was a bad distraction."

"No, I want to. What are we doing?"

"Well, you've seen it before, so you can let me know if I have the design right." He began to arrange the small light bulbs in the design he had planned, but he still couldn't think straight. He had thirty minutes left, and if Wilbur hadn't been there to tell him that he had seen the design and his father had gotten it up in time, he would have lost hope. _Without him he had no hope. _

He felt Wilbur pull him from behind and away from his work.

"Wilbuuur, stoppp."

"Cute," he was pulling Cornelius back, but he stopped for a second and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "It's fine, you're done."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Dance with me."

"There's no music."

"Doesn't stop me."

"I haven't danced since my wedding."

"Wish I could've seen it. I walked out when you said your vows." He felt Cornelius break from his grip.

"What?"

"I snuck into your wedding, like I said I would, but once you said your vows I walked out. I couldn't take it. You invented this invisibility cloak similar to what makes the time machine invisible. That's why you didn't see me."

"All these years I thought I heard footsteps." Cornelius felt those arms wrap around him again and he was dipped down. Going back up, he leaned in, and for the first time in years he took Wilbur by surprise with his kiss.

"I love you."

A few minutes afterward, the family came home. Hearing them coming, Cornelius took Wilbur into the other room.

"Take the travel tubes down to the garage."

"Yeah, I know. I'll come back tomorrow?"

"Sure…oh, wait! I forgot." He sprinted up the steps with Wilbur behind him, and turning to go to the closet, he was turned around and almost pushed into it as he felt lips being pressed on his.

"I'll be back tomorrow night, Lewis. I love you." And, hearing the door downstairs open, he dodged for the travel tubes, and Cornelius was left dazed with the events of the night.

**A/N: Okay, one more chapter and then an epilogue. **


	10. All the Things I Can't Tell You

**A/N: Okay, SO. This is my last official chapter before the epilogue. Honestly, I'm going to miss this story a lot. So much that, I am in the midst of thinking of possible sequel plots. I have a friend who reads the fic and may want to continue it. I would be her creative consultant and would approve the stuff she wrote. If we can't collaborate and I could get something up that wouldn't seem forced I'll write it myself, but it's in the early stages of development and I don't have an idea yet. Either way, I'll still be around. I'm taking a small hiatus once this is finished, but I plan to start my next story by early July. It will be timecest and I think you would appreciate it very much. It's not your average loophole. Also, one more thing before I get to writing the chapter: I wasn't going to do this, but I may write out what happened in the closet during the last chapter. It would be smut, and I wouldn't be adding it here, but e-mailing it to whoever asked. So if anyone wants a midquel (within a midquel) I'll send it to you.**

Chapter 10

To say what had just happened was bewildering would have been the understatement of the year. It was neither bewildering nor captivating, because it was more than that. It was so much more, because Cornelius didn't think that what happened that night ever would. He thought that those days of pure bliss were over, and yet, over the course of two hours, he had lived them again. The word "captivating" didn't do anything justice. It shamed the events of the night and spit in their faces. What had just happened could not be properly described with the words of any language, and, stuck in the moment, Cornelius stood in the doorway of the closet for a few extra moments. The family was downstairs and waiting but he was stuck with the image of Wilbur in his mind. For the first time in years, Wilbur was his, and he felt like dancing around the house because he had missed being able to say that. Wilbur's perfect being was just for him and he had to repeat it a bit to himself in order for it to sink in. It was so unreal that Wilbur had come back to get him, because he had remembered his love for Cornelius, and they were now together again. They had changed one of their worst memories, of their painful break-up, into something so beautiful, and he loved to think how something so upsetting changed into something so marvelous.

Those downstairs would never understand. They had known about his relationship with Wilbur once, but they couldn't know that they were now back together, because then they would jump to conclusions of molestation, and would have their claims be reassured by how distraught the younger Wilbur was. He had run out of the house in anguish to meet his family, and no doubt they thought something pervasive had happened between him and Cornelius. They most likely thought he had snapped, and taken his frustrations out on his son. He couldn't go down there and say what had happened, because not only would they get mad, but Wilbur would feel cheated. He had just lost Lewis, and there was an older version of himself who had just gotten him back. He couldn't do that to his son.

Did the people downstairs even know that he had once had a relationship with someone from the future? When he thought it over, he realized that they didn't. Future Wilbur's parents and family knew, but Cornelius's wife, uncles, and the like thought the relationship that had just played out before them was a freak accident. Franny didn't know that the man she had married had been in the same spot thirty years ago, and she didn't know that it would continue to happen in an endless loop. It was stupid to believe that Franny wasn't thinking the worst right now. In her mind, she saw rape, and Lewis had fled the house when it happened. In her mind, Cornelius was sexually frustrated over the whole thing, and had taken it out on his son. She let the images run wild, and by the end of the show they gave she saw no innocence in him. She saw Cornelius as a monster, and she would be forever convinced he was one. He forgot to ask Wilbur whether his parents were still together. He would have loved to know, but the trouble with having a time machine was that when you didn't find out answers right away you became so impatient. He thought it was a miracle that she had not divorced him sooner, and as he walked down the steps to the living room, he prepared to be called the worst names in the book.

"There you are," Franny said sternly. Her voice was cold and had no emotion. She didn't attempt to look him in the eyes. "We were wondering what was taking you so long."

Cornelius took a deep breath and wondered if he should speak. Was it best to keep quiet and not say anything? He didn't want to drive himself into a ditch he couldn't get out of.

"Did you have fun this evening?" The venom was in Franny's voice.

"Excuse me?" The words came from his mouth sharply. He looked around the room and saw the rest of the family was standing around in what was a clumsy open circle, around Franny, and Wilbur stood with them.

"Don't play dumb! You know exactly what I mean!" She moved closer to him, and her eyes were squinted in hate. "What did you do to him?"

Cornelius huffed. It wasn't an appropriate response, and it did him no favors, but he was so disgusted with this encounter. "Do to him? I did nothing."

"You're a liar! You…you…you put your hands on him. You did it because you can't control yourself because you're some sick pig!"

"For the love of God, I didn't touch him! I'm not some sick pedophile and I would never-"

"He didn't do anything to me," Wilbur mumbled. The whole house turned to face him, and each member of the family had a shocked expression on their face. It could not be determined whether they were shocked over what he had said, or just shocked he had spoken at all.

"WH-what?" Franny had trouble taking it in. She should be happy her son was safe and that the man she had married was not a child molester, but she stood there baffled, and maybe even a little disappointed.

"He didn't touch me," Wilbur stated, this time louder. "Not once."

"Then why'd you come get us?"

"Because I-"

"You don't have to lie for him, Wilbur."

"No, I-"

"This isn't your fault."

"Mom, stop!" He used what force he hadn't used in his earlier argument with Lewis to screech this last phrase. "He didn't lay a single hand on me. I was never sick."

"You weren't?" Franny looked genuinely hurt when she found this out. Wilbur had never really lied to her before. Well, maybe about stupid stuff like having homework done, but not lying to get out of family affairs.

"No, I wasn't. I wanted to be alone with Lewis. We started arguing and he stormed out."

"Oh," Franny said in an almost inaudible voice. She was too uncomfortable with the "being alone" aspect of what her son had just said to say anything else. "Well then," she said, turning to Cornelius, "I apologize."

After she had said this, she looked up, and, sharing awkward eye contact for a few seconds, she mumbled something and went upstairs. Cornelius felt his eyes travel around the room, going from face to face, but each person had no expression. Quietly and with no words, they each filed up the stairs; everyone except Wilbur. He stayed there, and, rather unintentionally, looked up and shared the same awkward eye contact with his father that his mother had experienced minutes earlier. He didn't look away as quickly as she did, though. They stood in the empty room and looked into the eyes of the other, and it was tense, but in their eyes were the things they could never say to each other aloud. Cornelius realized how over the course of the night he had turned around and stabbed his only son in the back, and he had chosen his love life over the one he had raised. He had chosen the one he had grown up with and spent three marvelous years with over the one who, in the years before the one who left him came back, had made it better. He wanted to tell him that it would be okay, and that Lewis loved him. He wanted to say how he had spent two hours alone with future Wilbur, and what they had done. He wanted to tell him that in thirty years he would kiss Lewis again and say he loved him, but he couldn't. He didn't know where to begin.

"Wi-," he started, but was interrupted before the name could escape his lips.

"Don't say anything. I stood up for you, but don't think I want to talk to you. Don't imagine that I want anything to do with you, because I don't." Creeping into his voice was the sting Cornelius had encountered when he went to visit Wilbur three years ago. Although they had now reconciled, it made him want to die knowing that now he had found his way back into that pain again.

"You don't understand," Cornelius said in a shaky voice.

"I understand perfectly!" Wilbur's shouts echoed through the house and when no one came down to check on him Cornelius was very surprised. His face was red with fury and he stamped his foot down like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "I was fighting with Lewis and you knew it, and you did nothing to stop it. You let it happen it!"

"Please, Wilbur. Listen to me." He went closer to him, and in that minute almost lost it. "You don't understand that I _had _to do it. I-"

"No, you know what you had to, Dad?" The last word was said as if it were fire and burnt his tongue. "You had to help me. You had to help me keep the only thing that mattered in my life. You didn't." He became aware of how close Cornelius was to him, and he felt a hand go on his arm, but although every inch of his body told him to jolt away, he couldn't. He had become so used to that touch over the past three years.

"I couldn't. I couldn't come between your relationship. I couldn't mess with the time…"

He realized how bad what he just said was, but it was too late to take it back.

"Yeah, and that's your problem! All he ever cared about was the time stream!"

"If you're mad at Lewis, why do you still wish I would've helped you keep him?" Cornelius realized that it was a bold question, and it dug into Wilbur's personal space. Yet, it was an excellent question. He was angry at Lewis and had begun to hate him but he still wished his father would've stopped him from leaving.

"Because I wouldn't have to hate him if it weren't for you. You could have told him the time stream didn't matter. You could've convinced him. You," and his voice cracked with approaching tears, "you could've told him to stay with me." In his anger he did not try to escape his father's grasp once. He stood there and felt the first of a dozen tears come down, and he felt Cornelius's lips brush against his forehead, slowly breaking boundaries that were not to be crossed. Wilbur didn't know how much Cornelius wanted to hold him and tell him that he loved him. He didn't know how much he fought back the urge to kiss him tenderly and make him stop crying, and he couldn't tell him, because Cornelius knew that if he told his son he had known this would happen all along he would run away and never come back. He knew he would be angry that he didn't give him a chance at saving his relationship. He had vowed never to hurt Wilbur again, but he kept doing it by keeping the secret he absolutely couldn't tell, but it was all okay now. It was okay because he knew that in thirty years he would come back to Lewis and then maybe reconcile with his older father after he realized why he had been so secretive. He felt Wilbur break away from his grip, and they looked each other in the eyes, and unspoken words became spoken.

"Why'd you do it, Lewis? Why'd you let the time stream mean more to you than I did?"

Cornelius searched his head for an answer. He couldn't act like he knew anything. If he said the real answer, then Wilbur would know that his being with Lewis was no accident, and that the same thing had happened to Cornelius as a kid. He bit his lip, and, contemplating the answer, finally understood the real reason why Wilbur hated his father so much.

"I can't say that, because I was never in love with you." It was such a cruel thing to say, but it was the only way he could make sure he could come back to Lewis in three decades. If he said he knew it would happen all along, Wilbur would think it had all been doomed from the beginning and never try again, but by saying this cruel sentence Cornelius could make Wilbur still want him, make him cry for the love he thought he had never had, and eventually come back. Wilbur wouldn't give up, because he would keep wishing for that love, but if he had known that this was to happen all along, he would give up altogether.

Cornelius watched his son's eyes widen in pain, anger, and hate all rolled in one, and he ran over to him and almost knocked him over in a very physical rage.

"**I hate you, I hate you, I hate you! I want you gone I want you out of my life I hope you rot! You bastard, you ruined my life!" **Cornelius held Wilbur's arms back as he was being pushed further across the room, and he hated to think what would happen if he lost control of the angry hands that were too close to him. Getting his strength back, he turned around and pushed Wilbur against the wall.

"Calm yourself!" He said through tense teeth. "Do you want them to hear you?" The hands in his grip unclenched and became limp. He let them drop and saw them stay at Wilbur's side.

"I don't care!" The tears that had stopped falling came back full force, and Wilbur's legs couldn't support him as he fell to the ground and was choked by his own tears. All Cornelius could do was helplessly watch. It was so mean, but it was the only way he could preserve what was supposed to happen. He couldn't risk Wilbur knowing and going back to the day he had first met Lewis and stopping anything from happening. If this happened, the sweet reunion that took place earlier would never happen. Lowering his hand, Cornelius offered to help his son up, but Wilbur refused it and got up on his own.

_You don't understand how much I do love you _were the words Cornelius just couldn't get out, and Wilbur shot him one more hateful look before going upstairs, leaving his father alone to wallow in his guilt. He was guilty, but he did it so that in the long run he could once again see his son happy with whom he knew was the only person he would ever love.

**A/N: Okay, so I'm sorry if that was depressing, but my epilogue will wrap this up happily, I promise! Review?**


	11. Epilogue

**A/N: Here we are at the epilogue. Just a heads up, we're back with future Wilbur. There's a reason I'm calling this an epilogue and not a true chapter. There's dialogue here, but we get a glimpse at answers and the future, and therefore it differs from your average chapter. It's been a pleasure writing this, and I can't thank my readers enough. I'll be starting my new story in a couple of weeks. **

Epilogue

Arriving home, Wilbur didn't know how he would approach his father. Thirty years behind him, his younger counterpart was about to begin a long hatred of his dad, and now, this Wilbur wanted to end it. He understood all his father's actions now, and with his relationship with Lewis restored, he hoped to do the same for _this_ strained relation. He wanted everything to be how it used to be, if it wasn't too late to ask for that. Walking into the main hallway, he found it surprisingly empty, but in the dark he was being waited for.

"Hey, Will."

Wilbur was taken off guard by the use of a nickname he had abandoned years ago. He had only ever let Lewis use it on him.

"Hey, Dad," and for once, he didn't say it in a malicious way, but affectionately.

"Did you have fun?" Cornelius didn't notice his son's face go red at the question. "fun" wasn't the right word.

"Yeah, I did. I had a great time. You probably know that already, though…Hey, can I ask you something?" Wilbur was slowly approaching his father, and for the first time in years he wanted to get closer to him.

"Sure, anything."

"How'd you know this was going to work? How'd you know that…Lewis and I were going to end up together again?"

The room was silent, and the atmosphere was almost stiff as Wilbur waited for his father to answer.

"I haven't been honest with you. You're going to hate me for telling you this, but…the whole time you guys were together, I knew exactly how you would break up. It was never a mistake, because I had gone through the same thing."

"_What?!"_ There was surprise in Wilbur's voice, and a hint of anger mixed in, but Cornelius had expected nothing less.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you, but I couldn't. When you and Lewis hooked up, I realized that history was repeating itself, and that it was meant to be. I couldn't interrupt that, because I was scared if I did, and you guys were able to avoid fighting on your birthday, then maybe I would've never gotten with Franny, because I would never want to be with her. I would still be with you. You would've been erased from existence, and Wilbur, I had lost you once. I couldn't lose you again. I missed you, and part of me was angry at you, but at least I knew you still existed. Knowing you were still alive kept me going. If you had left the world completely, I would've killed myself."

"So, I was mad at you for not helping me keep Lewis, when the reason you didn't help me was because you two were…"

"I was with you. Afterward, when I confronted you when you came home, I thought I could tell you then. I still couldn't, because if you knew it was doomed from the start you'd never want to try again. I had to tell you something that would make you want to earn something. It would make you want to get him back…"

"So you told me you never loved me."

"Yeah, I did. But Wilbur, I did love you, and I do, and it's the hardest thing I've ever had to tell anyone because you will never know how much I love you! You will never know how I was torn in two having to say that, because you're the only person I've ever wanted to be with." Cornelius expected his son to respond, but he didn't see this coming. He felt a warm embrace as arms wrapped around him and a shaking body hugged his.

"Dad, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything I've ever said to you…I…I…love you." Wilbur did love him in so many ways, but this was the closest to a normal relationship they would ever come. This was the closest to a healthy love they would ever have.

"Shhhhh…it's okay. Wilbur, stop crying, it's okay."

"It's not okay! I hated you for no reason. I made your life a living Hell for nothing."

"Maybe that's true, but there isn't any other person I'd go through that for. If it made you feel better to treat me badly I'd do it ten times over for you." The grip around Cornelius's body tightened and words came out of Wilbur's mouth in tangled sobs.

"No, no, don't say that! I'm never doing that to you again. I promise, Lewis, I'll never hurt you again I can't live without you I-" Realizing his outburst, Wilbur let go of the body next to him and stood up. He felt genuinely embarrassed.

"I'm sorry about that."

"I've come to terms with the fact that to you I'll always be Lewis. I have no problem with that."

There was one question that kept annoying Wilbur, and he couldn't help but ask it, despite the fact that he was afraid of the answer.

"Dad? Are you and me, you know, older me, still…happy together?" Although it was a serious question, he saw Cornelius laugh a bit at it, and it just increased his fear of the answer.

"Wilbur, do you remember how, the summer after your sophomore year, I started going to those conventions?"

"Yeah, I hated you for it. I felt like you were leaving me alone when I needed someone the most. You were never around much."

"Well, it wasn't for a convention."

"Then what-"

"Your mother became furious at me after you and Lewis broke it off. She never truly bought that I didn't touch you, and you couldn't stand the vacation house because it reminded you of how you almost spent a full two weeks with Lewis, so we stopped going to the vacation house. Your mother wanted to sell it, but I said the quiet it offered could help me with inventions, so we kept it, but that's not what I use it for. I spend a few weeks with you in that house every summer. It's our special place. It's where we go to be alone. I still use the convention as an excuse, because I tell her they like to have retired scientists there as consultants, but that's not what I do during those weeks. I-" He paused, wondering if what he wanted to say was the right thing to tell his son. "I'd rather be with you than any science convention."

"What do we do there?"

"That's cheating. You'll have to find out yourself. Like normal people who don't have time machines." The space between them grew smaller, and there was a thought in their minds for a split second regarding what was appropriate and what wasn't, but it vanished quickly, and Wilbur placed a soft kiss upon Cornelius's lips.

"Don't you think we've broken enough boundaries? I thought we agreed the day you brought younger me here that we'd never do that again."

"I lied. You were just asking for that."

"Yeah, I guess I was, based on all the stuff I was telling you, but if your mother finds out…"

"Eh, she doesn't have to know, Dad. Secretly I think she wants us to be together. She never left you although she claimed to be suspicious."

"May I remind you that you have a boyfriend?"

"So do you. He's me, whether you want to admit it or not. I'm not saying _we _have to be a thing. We have the time machine for that, but I'm not going to deny that when I say I love Lewis, I mean every part of him, and that includes you. But, you know, we can play it safe. Just like we did when we were **In the Closet**."


End file.
